Prince William helms his first Investiture Ceremony of 2026 at Windsor Castle following Princess Anne's 'complaints'
His aunt allegedly had some complaints about his schedule
Prince William has hosted his his first Investiture Ceremony of 2026 – likely to the relief of Princess Anne.
According to previous reports, there was some tension about the traditional ceremonies.
Prince William helms first Investiture Ceremony of 2026
You might be wondering: “What is an Investiture Ceremony?”
Investitures are the ceremonies where honours and awards are formally presented to those named in the king’s Birthday Honours list.
These ceremonies are a significant part of royal life. They allow the crown to show appreciation for those who have been favoured by the monarch.
These occasions are traditionally carried out by senior working royals.
King Charles himself sometimes handled the ceremonies. The Princess Royal and the Prince of Wales also carry them out when necessary.
The 43-year-old prince held his first Investiture Ceremony yesterday, January 14, marking the first of 2026.
There, he handed out awards to some of the people named on King Charles’ New Year Honours List. The listen in question was announced last month.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ official Instagram account shared footage from the day.
View this post on Instagram
Prince William update
The caption read: “A new year of investitures is underway! Congratulations to everyone receiving awards today.”
Prince William was honouring included Frank Rothwell, a businessman and the owner of the Oldham Athletic soccer team, as well as Dame Clare Barclay, the Chief Executive Officer of Microsoft U.K.
He also handed out an honour to retired professional soccer player Millie Bright, who played for Chelsea and England’s women’s national team, the Lionesses – who Wills is a big fan of.Prince William and Princess Charlotte even flew to Switzerland last July to cheer on the team at the finals of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025.
Princess Anne’s ‘complaints’
Although this was likely a joyous occasion for those involved with the honours, there may have been one royal watching closely.
Last year, in July 2025, it was reported that by The Sunday Times, that the Princess Royal, widely described as the hardest-working royal in terms of engagements, was becoming frustrated at her nephew’s attitude towards the ceremonies.
The newspaper alleged that Princess Anne was unhappy that Prince William had taken on fewer investiture ceremonies than her at Windsor Castle.
A source close to Anne allegedly told The Sunday Times: “She’s still doing most of the investitures [at Windsor] even though William lives there. It annoys her.”
Despite these claims, Anne and William are said to enjoy a close bond.
Following Princess Anne’s horse riding accident last year, William and Kate dubbed her a “super trooper”.
“So great to see you back so soon! W & C x,” they said in a heartfelt message of support.
Prince William today
Elsewhere, Prince William has also been out and about today, January 15, 2026.
He shared alongside a string of snaps on social media: “Visiting Herefordshire today to discuss farmers’ mental health. Proud to be Patron of We Are Farming Minds and to see its impact firsthand in the farming community. Farmers contend with multiple external pressures and considerable uncertainty, which makes supporting their mental health and wellbeing so important. Thank you to our hosts John and Laura for sharing their stories.”
William could be seen enjoying a cup of tea with fellow farming community members, feeding sheep and sporting a flat cap and a practical green coat in the photos.
The post garnered a lot of attention, with many fans flocking to the comments to praise Wills on his work and his appearance.
One penned: “His royal highness looks very dapper with his hat.”
“Fabulous to see the integration with farming communities,” said a second.
“The beard is on point,” gushed a third.
Another added: “Prince William is doing amazing!!”
A fifth chimed in: “In his element.”
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