Prince William attends the BAFTAs solo as Princess Kate continues recovery from surgery

Prince William attended the British Academy Film Awards solo as his wife, Princess Kate, continues to recover from surgery.

The Prince of Wales arrived Sunday at the Royal Festival Hall in London for the 2024 BAFTAs, the British equivalent of the Oscars, without Princess Kate. In January, the Princess of Wales was admitted to the hospital for a planned abdominal surgery.

William was spotted sitting next to Cate Blanchett at the awards ceremony, and photos showed him shaking hands with David Beckham.

William was heard acknowledging he has seen "the fewest" amount of films this year because he has had "other things on my mind" but that he hopes to catch up on the nominees, according to a video published by the Daily Mail. The video also showed him telling fans he has not watched "Barbie," the highest-grossing film of 2023.

The Prince of Wales serves as president of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which presents the annual awards. BAFTA film committee chair Anna Higgs told Deadline that William is sent screeners of the nominated movies and that he told her last year that he "loved" "Top Gun: Maverick."

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"Oppenheimer" won best film at the 2024 BAFTAs, where "Anatomy of a Fall," "The Holdovers," "Killers of the Flower Moon" and "Poor Things" were also nominated in the top category.

William previously skipped the BAFTAs in 2021 following the death of his grandfather, Prince Philip. The year before, he attended the ceremony and delivered a speech calling for diversity among the nominees.

"Both here in the U.K. and in many other countries across the world, we are lucky to have incredible filmmakers, actors, producers, directors and technicians – men and women from all backgrounds and ethnicities, enriching our lives through film," William said at the time. "Yet, in 2020 and not for the first time in the last few years, we find ourselves talking again about the need to do more to ensure diversity in the sector and in the awards process. That simply cannot be right in this day and age."

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William's BAFTAs appearance on Sunday came after his father, King Charles III, was diagnosed with cancer.

Princess Kate, meanwhile, returned home in January after her surgery and "is making good progress," Kensington Palace previously said in a statement. "Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter," the palace said.

Contributing: Maria Puente

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Prince William arrives at BAFTAs alone as Princess Kate recovers