King Charles and Prince William Cancel All Their Royal Outings This Week

.The sovereign and his son might not be seen as regularly until after July 4

LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 22: King Charles III during a reception for the winners of The 20th Prince’s Trust Awards at Buckingham Palace on May 22, 2024 in London, England. The Prince’s Trust Awards, held on May 21, 2024, celebrated young individuals who have overcome significant challenges, improved their prospects, and made positive contributions to their local communities. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

King Charles and Prince William are changing their calendars amid a political shakeup in the U.K.

The King, 75, and Prince of Wales, 41, will no longer be making engagements slated for the rest of the week after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called for a surprise general election on July 4.

Charles had an outing planned for May 23 and two more on May 24. The palace hopes to reschedule the stops. William also had a royal outing scheduled for this week that was abruptly canceled. The royal family will continue to postpone engagements “which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement on May 22.

The canceled outings come amid Charles’ recent return to public-facing duties amid his cancer treatment. William’s wife Kate Middleton has also taken a step back from public outings amid her cancer diagnosis.

While members of the royal family historically do not get involved in politics, they do shift their schedules amid elections. Adjusting the schedule during election campaigns is standard practice. The palace aims to ensure the public’s attention remains on the election and the key issues it presents.

It’s also important that the royals aren’t questioned on political matters while they are on outings.

While it remains to be seen what the next six weeks might look like for working royals like King Charles and Prince William, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said that the royal family will postpone engagements that could be seen as a conflict amid the election.

“Their Majesties send their sincere apologies to any of those who may be affected as a result,” the spokesperson said.

Events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, including King Charles’ first overseas trip since he announced his cancer diagnosis in February, are expected to go on as scheduled, while others are under review and will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Expectations around classic June events on the royal calendar like Trooping the Colour and Order of the Garter Day remain unclear.