Prince William and Kate Middleton have a big 2022 in store even after the dizzying high of Queen Elizabeth II‘s Platinum Jubilee.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were at the center of celebrations marking the 96-year-old monarch’s 70 years on the throne.
The couple’s son, Prince Louis, stole the show with an array of cheeky facial expressions while William helped take the salute at Trooping the Colour on June 2.
However, there is plenty more still to come in 2022 for the family, including their first U.S. visit in eight years, a major new hire, and another high-profile international event.
The Earthshot Prize
Prince William’s environmental awards are back for their second year and in 2022 will take place in America.
That almost certainly means William and Kate will be heading to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s stomping ground to raise awareness about finding technological solutions to save the planet.
Earthshot, backed by the likes of Shakira, Cate Blanchett and Sir David Attenborough, awards a grant of £1 million ($1.2 million) to each of five winners every year for 10 years until 2030.
The £50 million ($60.4 million) will go to fund the expansion of innovative projects designed to fix our climate, protect nature, clean our air, revive oceans, and build a waste-free world.
The 2021 ceremony took place at Alexandra Palace, in North London. The couple last visited New York in December 2014.
A Move to Windsor
The Cambridges are planning to move out of their London base at Kensington Palace to Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, where they will be closer to the queen, The Sun reported.
The shift would give them more space and privacy, with Kensington Palace famous as a goldfish bowl perpetually surrounded on all sides by tourists.
Their new house is to the east of Windsor Castle and would leave William well placed to help the queen as episodic mobility problems continue to force her to cancel appearances she would have made in previous years.
The cottage is also smaller with no space for live-in staff, meaning the general running of their home would also change.
The Commonwealth Games
Britain is hosting the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, an Olympics-style tournament for countries of the Commonwealth, predominantly former British colonies.
The sporting bonanza will begin on July 28 and conclude on August 8. And just like the Platinum Jubilee, the upcoming event will show the world that Britain is open for business again after COVID-19.
The royal family have already had a role to play with the Queen’s Baton Relay, which sees a baton carried across the U.K. and the Commonwealth, forming part of the jubilee celebrations.
There will likely be many more high-profile jobs for working royals, including William and Kate, as the games take the country by storm during the summer.
A Bold New Hire
William and Kate also have a new press secretary who is due to start working for them shortly, The Sunday Times reported.
Lee Thompson, a former British triathlete, moves to Kensington Palace from NBC Universal, where he was vice-president of global communications and strategic partnerships.
He joins the team months after William and Kate went on a disastrous tour of the Caribbean that ended with the prince having to justify why overseas visits exist at all.
The couple found themselves at the center of a debate about colonialism and slavery reparations and did not appear to have a strategy for dealing with it.
The saga followed a racism storm that engulfed William after he made comments about the African population and climate.
After William told the world the royals were “very much not a racist family” in the aftermath of Harry and Meghan’s Oprah Winfrey interview last year, the Cambridges will be hoping their new PR chief will be able to head off any further scandals.
Prince Harry’s Memoir
There could be further drama on the horizon for the couple too as Harry’s memoir is due for release towards the end of the year. William got off relatively lightly during Harry and Meghan’s Winfrey interview in March 2021.
The Duke of Sussex suggested their shared experience of losing their mother, Princess Diana, may have made him reluctant to go into details about the famous rift between the brothers.
However, it is yet to be seen whether he will maintain the same stance in his highly anticipated autobiography.
Even if Harry does not take aim at William, the memoir may still make uncomfortable reading for William as many of Harry’s childhood experiences and memories will also be his brother’s.
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