Prince William and Kate Middleton BAFTA
Prince William is BAFTA president and usually attends the annual awards ceremony with his wife, Kate Middleton.
Mark Cuthbert/Getty Images
  • Prince William dropped out of the BAFTA Awards this weekend following Prince Philip's death.
  • William, 38, is BAFTA president and typically attends the ceremony with his wife, Kate Middleton.
  • Prince Philip died on Friday, April 9, at age 99.
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Prince William will not participate in this weekend's BAFTA Awards following the death of his grandfather, Prince Philip.

On Saturday, BAFTA announced in a statement that the Duke of Cambridge wouldn't appear at the 74th award ceremony.

"In light of The Duke of Edinburgh's passing, The Duke of Cambridge will no longer be part of BAFTA programming this weekend," BAFTA wrote in a statement to Variety. "Our thoughts are with the Royal Family, to whom we offer our deepest sympathy at this time."

William, who was appointed BAFTA president in 2010 and usually attended with Kate Middleton, was set to appear in a pre-recorded conversation with costume designer Jenny Beavan and make-up and hair designer Sharon Martin.

He was also scheduled to give a speech on Sunday during BAFTA's main film awards and touch on the film industry's strength and adaptability amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Insider has reached out to BAFTA and Kensington Palace for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

BAFTA has a history of appointing royal family members as president, with Prince Philip named the first president in 1959.

Prince Philip
The Duke of Edinburgh leaves the London Clinic in central London, in 2013 after having exploratory abdominal surgery.
Dominic Lipinski/PA Images via Getty Images

William's absence comes after the death of Prince Philip, who died at Windsor Castle on Friday at the age of 99. Buckingham Palace confirmed that Philip, husband to Queen Elizabeth II for 73 years, "passed away peacefully."

Before his death, Philip was admitted to King Edwards VII's Hospital in London on February 16. He was hospitalized for four weeks this year in what palace officials initially described as a precautionary measure.

Philip was later treated for an infection on February 23 but transferred to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, a specialist cardiovascular hospital, on March 1. Buckingham Palace said Philip underwent a "successful procedure" for a preexisting heart condition two days later, and he returned to Windsor Castle on March 16.

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