- Prince William will be traveling to New Zealand in late April on behalf of the Queen to honor the victims of the Christchurch shootings.
- The visit was planned at the request of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's baby is also reportedly due in late April, although the exact date has not been publicly announced.
Prince William is weeks away from becoming a proud uncle as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are preparing to welcome their first child together. But could the Duke of Cambridge have an important work conflict when the baby arrives?
Kensington Palace just announced that William will visit New Zealand in late April at the request of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to honor the victims of the Christchurch shootings earlier this month. The exact date of his trip, which he'll carry out on behalf of the Queen, has not yet been disclosed.
Meghan and Harry's baby is also due in late April, according to what the mom-to-be told fans during a visit to Birkenhead, England in January. The couple hasn't shared the exact due date of baby Sussex, but is it possible William's trip and Baby Sussex's arrival overlap? Considering how secretive royal couples are about their due dates, we unfortunately won't know until the baby arrives.
Should William miss his niece or nephew's birth, his absence would be understandable considering the gravity of the New Zealand trip. When news broke that 50 people were killed in two mosques in Christchurch earlier this month, William, the Duchess of Cambridge, Harry, and Meghan condemned the attack in a joint statement. 'No person should ever have to fear attending a sacred place of worship,' they wrote.
During his upcoming trip, Prince William will 'meet with those affected by the attack and will pay tribute to the extraordinary compassion and solidarity that the people of New Zealand have displayed in recent weeks,' according to a Kensington Palace press release.
The Duke of Cambridge previously visited Christchurch following earthquakes in 2011. He visited New Zealand again with Duchess Kate and their first son, Prince George, in 2014, a trip that also marked George's first tour abroad.
This wouldn't be the first time William's work duties conflicted with one of Harry's major life events. As president of England’s Football Association (FA), he was supposed to attend the FA Cup final on the same day as Harry and Meghan's royal wedding, but ultimately attended the latter. (He was best man, after all.)
Erica Gonzales is the Senior Culture Editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage on TV, movies, music, books, and more. She was previously an editor at HarpersBAZAAR.com. There is a 75 percent chance she's listening to Lorde right now.
