Prince William Reveals the Real Reason He Didn’t Go to Paris Olympics Was to Protect Kate Middleton

Prince William and Kate Middleton in Cardiff, Wales on Oct. 3, 2023. Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty

Prince William says that he didn’t attend the 2024 Paris Olympics because he “didn’t want to risk” contracting COVID amid his wife Kate Middleton’s chemotherapy treatment.

The Prince of Wales, 42, made the revelation while visiting the reopened Birtley Community Pool in Tyne and Wear, England, on Oct. 3. Many speculated that Prince William would appear at the global games in France over the summer to cheer on his country, as many other European royals did, and he explained that he wasn’t there out of a desire to protect his wife’s health.

“Did you manage to get out [to Paris]?” British Olympic swimmer Tom Dean asked Prince William at the pool on Oct. 3, Hello! reported. The inquiry came up during a conversation with his fellow 2024 Paris Olympian Adam Peaty and Paralympians Maisie Summers-Newton and Louise Fiddes.

“No, I was so keen to come, but I have to say after reading someone’s interview about COVID I decided, because my wife was obviously having chemo, that I didn’t want to risk bringing COVID home, so Adam very kindly reminded me that that was still a thing!” Prince William said, according to the outlet.

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“But we watched the whole thing. We were glued to it every day,” he added, apparently referring to his family. The Prince and Princess of Wales are parents to Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, and have evidently passed down their passion for sports.

Peaty, 29, tested positive for COVID after winning silver in the men’s 100m breaststroke during the Paris Games, and returned to the international competition after isolating, Reuters reported.

Princess Kate, 42, has been outside of the spotlight for much of the year after announcing in March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. She and her husband appeared in a video on Aug. 11 to congratulate Team Great Britain on their success at the Paris Olympics, which they didn’t attend in person.

During his conversation with the athletes on Oct. 3, Prince William said, “We’ve heard stories up and down the countries of pools closing down, so we thought, ‘No, we want to be able to stop this,’ ” according to the Daily Express.

Of the reopening of the Birtley Community Pool, “We want to replicate this across the country, because swimming is such an important part of life,” he continued. “We’re an island nation. We should all have access to learn how to swim.”

“Catherine and I both adore swimming,” Prince William added. “George loves scuba diving. He was 10 years old, we took him under, thinking he’d freak out, but he absolutely loved it. It’s just introduced him to the world of water.”