Why Prince William and Kate Middleton Missed Meghan Markle’s Official Royal Debut

Kate Middleton and Prince William missed Meghan Markle and Prince Harry‘s first public appearance as a married couple on Tuesday, though they reportedly had their reasons.

On Tuesday afternoon, Buckingham Palace hosted a birthday party for Prince Charles — Princes Harry and William’s father. The Prince of Wales celebrated his 70th out in the garden with a huge crowd of supporters, many of whom knew Prince Charles through his lifetime of charitable work.

However, according to a report by PEOPLE, Prince William was nearly 200 miles away. He travelled to Manchester Cathedral, representing the royal family at a memorial for the Manchester Arena terrorist attack.

The attack took place on May 22, 2017, exactly one year before Prince Charles’ 70th birthday. Prince William attended the service to show the royal family’s support for the families of victims. The attack took 22 lives.

At Buckingham Palace, Prince Harry also addressed the attack in his toast to his father. A full transcript of his remarks were posted on the royal family’s website.

“We are here today to reflect on, and to celebrate, my father’s dedicated support to all of you and the work that you do,” the Prince said to the crowd of charity workers.

“But first, I would like us to take a moment to remember all those affected by the tragic events at the Manchester Arena a year ago. We are fortunate to have over 250 representatives from the Emergency Services here today. It is right that we take a moment to recognise the amazing work they do every day and how each member of our Blue Light Services rise to meet the challenge of tragic events such as the attack a year ago. We are also joined by Youth United Cadets. Their organisation also provided triage support to the medical crews on the attack,” he added.

“So, on behalf of my family and everyone here, I would like to say thank you to the Emergency Services and all those who supported the injured and affected,” Prince Harry continued. “My brother, William, would be here today, were he not attending the service in Manchester to honour the victims, their families, the Emergency Services and the survivors, this afternoon. Our thoughts are with those who lost loved ones and those still dealing with the experiences of that night.”

Meanwhile, Middleton is reportedly still on maternity leave after giving birth to Prince Louis at the end of last month. The new mom opted not to attend either event, instead staying with her children after the exciting events around the wedding last weekend.