Prince William Will Likely Rush Back to The U.K Following New York City Visit Next Month 
King Charles and Queen Camilla also have plans to travel abroad that week
Prince William will probably have to save his Big Apple sightseeing for another trip across the pond.
The Prince of Wales, 41, is returning to New York City next month for two days, including a special event for a cause close to his heart: the second Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City on Sept. 19. The event serves as a rev up to the 2023 Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, which will take place in Singapore on Nov. 7.
However, Prince William likely won't linger in New York, most probably heading back to the U.K. shortly after his engagements in the United States wrap. That's because King Charles and Queen Camilla are also heading overseas that week. Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday that the royal couple will head to France from Sept. 20 to Sept. 22 for a state visit. King Charles, 74, and Queen Camilla, 76, were originally scheduled to visit the country in March, but they postponed the trip due to riots happening across France at the time.
Queen Camilla, King Charles, Prince William and Kate Middleton in July 2023
While Prince William is not required to be in the U.K. when his father is traveling, he is one of the King's Counsellors of State — one of the royals who can carry out constitutional duties for King Charles if he is abroad or unwell.
The Counsellor of State position typically belongs to the monarch's spouse (Queen Camilla), followed by the first four people in the line of succession who are over the age of 21. Currently, those are Prince William, Prince Harry, Prince Andrew and Princess Beatrice, Andrew's eldest daughter.
However, Prince Harry and Prince Andrew are no longer working members of the royal family — Harry, 38, stepped back as a senior working royal and relocated to California in 2020, while Andrew, 63, was stripped of his military titles and patronages in January 2022 due to his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Therefore, Parliament felt it was best to expand the cohort to include two additional people who could be called upon to stand in for King Charles.
King Charles' two other siblings — Princess Anne and Prince Edward — were tapped for the royal role, and they were officially made Counsellors of State in December 2022. The role is a return for Princess Anne and Prince Edward as they were both previously Counsellors of State to Queen Elizabeth before they moved down in the line of succession to the throne.
Prince William, King Charles and Princess Anne at Trooping the Colour 2022
Prince Harry will also be in Europe next month. The Duke of Sussex will attend the annual awards event for WellChild, a charity for seriously ill kids of which he is a patron, in London on Sept. 7.
From there, he will travel to Germany for the 2023 Invictus Games the international adaptive sports competition that he created for injured, sick and wounded service personnel and veterans. Meghan Markle is set to join her husband there.
“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are delighted to attend the Invictus Games 2023 in Düsseldorf. The Duke will be in attendance throughout the entirety of the games and will be joined by The Duchess shortly after the games begin,” a spokesperson said in a statement shared with PEOPLE.
Prince William was supposed to attend the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City last September but canceled the trip stateside after the death of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth. Still, he addressed the Summit via video.
"Although it is the saddest of circumstances that means I cannot join you in person today, I am pleased to join you in video form as you gather in New York for the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit," the Prince of Wales said. "During this time of grief, I take great comfort in your continued enthusiasm, optimism and commitment to the Earthshot Prize and what we are trying to achieve."
"Protecting the environment was a cause close to my grandmother's heart, and I know she would have been delighted to hear about this event and the support you're all giving our Earthshot finalists, the next generation of environmental pioneers," he added.
He was last in the U.S. in late 2022 when he and Kate Middleton attended the second Earthshot Prize awards show in Boston. The city was a natural choice to host the ceremony — the Earthshot Prize was inspired by Boston area native John F. Kennedy's Moonshot, the president's bold mission to send mankind to space.
In addition to the star-studded ceremony, the Prince and Princess of Wales undertook a number of engagements in the U.S., from the pair sitting courtside at a Boston Celtics game (including a Jumbotron moment!) to Kate visiting Harvard's Center on the Developing Child to William meeting with President Joe Biden.
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