Prince William Is Unexpectedly Joined By a Hollywood Star for Latest Appearance

When one thinks of fashion in the royal family, one likely thinks of Kate Middleton—but it was her husband, Prince William, who spent the day today discussing sustainable fashion, and with an unexpected companion, to boot.

William is used to being next to a Kate all the time, but on June 19 he spent time with a Cate—yes, with a “C”—as in the one and only Cate Blanchett. The future king and the iconic actress spent Thursday at Colorifix, where they toured laboratories and learned about making environmentally-friendly clothing dye.

While at the royal engagement today, William—who donned a lab coat and goggles—said, “Today has just made me realize I should have listened in all of my chemistry lessons,” per Hello!. “Going back over all those old notes like, ‘Damn, why didn’t I pay more attention?’” (William’s college degree from the University of St. Andrews—where he met his future wife—was in geography.)

Colorifix was one of the Prince of Wales’s Earthshot Prize finalists in 2023, and has developed a biological process that replaces the use of harmful chemicals in fabric dye. According to Hello!as he and Blanchett were walked through the process, the future king asked for a “layman’s version” of the process to be explained to him.

William’s fifth iteration of his Earthshot Prize Awards—which have so far had stops in London, Boston, Singapore, and Cape Town, South Africa—will travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in November. Confirmed to be in attendance include David Beckham, Heidi Klum, Billy Porter, Hannah Waddingham, and Robert Irwin; while there is certainly the high hope that the Princess of Wales will attend, it’s not yet confirmed.

Kate missed a planned appearance at day 2 of Royal Ascot on June 18, and William went on to the fabled horse race without her. While there, he drank a beer, rode in a carriage with his father King Charles and stepmother Queen Camilla, presented a trophy to the winning horse and rider, and laughed with his mother-in-law Carole Middleton (and not in that order).

As for Blanchett—our Cate with a “C”—she is involved on the leadership team of the Earthshot Prize and traveled to Singapore with the Prince of Wales for the awards ceremony in 2023.