William skips meeting with PM at Balmoral in break with King Charles’s tradition

Prince William will be breaking from his father’s this summer as he appears to have skipped a meeting with PM Rishi Sunak.

The Royal Family’s summerly visit to Balmoral and invitation to the Prime Minister are both traditions long established by the late Queen Elizabeth II.

Prior to taking the throne, King Charles would also often attend the meeting between the PM and the monarch.

But after Mr Sunak and wife Akshata Murthy took to the Highlands last weekend, there was no evidence that Prince William met with them.

So far in the Court Circular – the official record of royal engagements – there has been no mention of a meeting between the Prince of Wales and the Tory PM.

The lack of a meeting may be due to William needing to be back home in Windsor to prepare for their young children to return to school after the summer holidays.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are now starting in Year Six, Year Four and Year One respectively at the Lambrook School in Berkshire.

Meanwhile, Mr Sunak attended church with the Royals on Sunday.

It is thought to be the first time a Prime Minister has attended church near Balmoral with a monarch in at least five years.

Shortly after Mr Sunak entered No10, Prince William made a remark that was construed as some to be a criticism of the PM.

Speaking before Mr Sunak U-turned to announce that he would in fact be attending COP27 in November 2022, the Prince of Wales urged the world not to be distracted from the climate change plight during “turbulent times”.

Speaking at the Tusk Conservation Awards on Tuesday, Prince William added: “We are living through turbulent times and it is all too easy to lose sight of how critical it is that we look after our natural world.

“But we must remain focused on investing in nature and the environment, protecting it for future generations.

“We must not pass on the baton to our children and grandchildren, apologising for our lack of collective action.”

Mr Sunak did attend COP27 in Egypt in the end, having previously claimed he was focusing on “depressing” challenges facing the UK economy.

William and Kate are expected to be returning to their public duties in the coming days, with the Prince of Wales scheduled for a trip to New York later this month – while the pair are heading to the Rugby World Cup later this week, a month after snubbing the Lionesses after failing to travel to Australia for the Women’s Football World Cup final.

He will be attending the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, which is taking place during New York Climate Week.

The Prince will then stay for a number of events as part of the 78th opening of the UN General Assembly, it is expected.

And this Friday marks a poignant day for the family with the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

Express.co.uk has contacted Kensington Palace for comment.