Prince Edward, the Earl of Wessex, was forced to pull out of a NATO reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday due to illness. The youngest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip had been scheduled to attend alongside the Queen, Prince Charles, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman confirmed the Earl's absence, stating: “Unfortunately The Earl of Wessex was unable to attend last night’s reception as he was unwell. There’s no further guidance on this.” His wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, was also absent due to prior work commitments.
Prince Edward's last official royal duty was a dinner for the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award Foundation on November 28. However, he was seen over the weekend horse riding with his daughter Lady Louise Windsor, 16, in Windsor.
Despite the Earl's absence, the Queen was joined by Prince Charles and Princess Anne at the event. Prince Charles and Camilla also met with US President Donald Trump and his wife Melania for a 15-minute tea and photograph session, which was cut short when the Trumps arrived nearly an hour late.
Prince William, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and Prince Andrew were all absent from the reception. The Duke of Cambridge was in the Middle East, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on a six-week break, and Prince Andrew stepped back from royal duties following public backlash over his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
