King Charles' brother Prince Edward was initially set to accompany him for the royal engagement.
But, the Duke of Edinburgh could not attend the Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Higher and Further Education at St James’ Palace due to minor illness, according to sources.
Edward reportedly pulled out after coming down with a cold. His last engagements took him to Italy for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, where he attended multiple events.
It is pertinent to mention that event that Prince Edward missed was the largest gathering of royals since Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's arrest recently.
Despite Edward's absence, the event went ahead with King Charles, Queen Camilla, and Princess Anne in attendance.
While King Charles presented awards to 19 universities and colleges for innovation and excellence across a range of disciplines, Queen Camilla met with researchers from the Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit to discuss interventions against sexual and gender based violence.
On the other hand, wife of Prince Edward, Sophie continued her international work in Somalia.