Prince William has been forced to pull out of a major Royal engagement, and the reason couldn’t be any more of a British cliché.
The Prince of Wales will certainly be hoping that 2025 proves to be a lot less taxing than last year was for him and his loved ones — what with both his father and wife being diagnosed with cancer, it’s no surprise William wobbled his usually stiff upper lip enough to admit that 2024 was the “hardest year of my life.” That said, it’s not like the prince is kicking back and taking it too easy as he’s already had a busy opening to the year, with his January already stacked with public appearances.
His latest engagement had to postponed this Thursday, however, and not through any fault of William’s own.
Prince William forced to pull out of military engagement, and you’ll never guess why

The Prince of Wales was due to spend Jan. 16 meeting Army Air Corps (AAC) troops and their families at the Wattisham flying station in Ipswich, but the event ultimately had to be cancelled when William’s fancy entrance plan was scuppered due to bad weather.
Prince William was supposed to make a splashy arrival in Wattisham by flying to the station in a Wildcat Helicopter, a reconnaissance aircraft that’s part of the AAC’s fleet, but a typically drizzly, windy day in the U.K. left the palace with no choice but to reschedule the event for a later date. William’s apologies have since been passed on in a statement to the press.
So, in essence, the story here is “future King of England profusely apologizes for bad weather,” which may just be the most British news item in history.
“With regret, this engagement has been postponed as a result of poor weather which would have significantly restricted the planned programme,” reads the statement from Kensington Palace. “The Prince of Wales sends his sincere apologies to those who he had been due to meet and hopes to reschedule his visit at the earliest convenience.”
The prince only recently found himself as the honorary head of the AAC — the combat aviation division of the British army, typified by their blue berets — when King Charles officially handed him the role of Colonel-in-Chief in May 2024. So he’s no doubt upset that his duties are already being interrupted less than a year later. Plus, we know how certain royal-loving corners of the internet (plus Donald Trump) will despair at losing another chance to see the bearded “Prince Will-Yum” in military uniform.
At least William’s plans for earlier in the week went off without a hitch, as he gave a speech to the College of Paramedics on Wednesday. Likewise, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton has been busy, too, as she undertook her first solo visit since returning to royal duties to visit the London hospital where she was treated for cancer. With any luck, a spot of bad weather will be the worst of the Wales’ problems for the moment.
Published: Jan 16, 2025 01:07 pm