The royals are converging in the small town of Ascot, England for the Royal Ascot races, the Queen’s favorite event of the year. They’re joining about 300,000 others for a highlight of the British social calendar, CNBC notes, which has been a yearly tradition since 1768.

On Tuesday, as the events kicked off, royals like Prince Harry and Meghan Markle took part in the royal procession, being escorted in horse-drawn carriages down the race track. But two key royals weren't there for the procession: Prince William and Kate Middleton. That’s because the two have prior engagements: William on another royal duty, and Kate caring for little Prince Louis.

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Meghan and Harry arriving alongside Prince Edward and the Countess of Sussex at Royal Ascot.

Prince William is in Liverpool at the International Business Festival, the largest business festival in the world. He’s the event’s patron for 2018, and congratulated the thousands of delegates there for bringing together businesspeople “ to build networks and to share knowledge.”

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He also took time in Liverpool to open the James Wentworth-Stanley Memorial Fund, or James’ Place, which is the first-ever non-clinical center in the U.K. for men in suicidal crisis. Mental health has long been a priority for Prince William, Prince Harry, and Kate Middleton, who started Heads Together to tackle the stigma around getting help for mental illness.

As for Kate Middleton, she’s on maternity leave after giving birth to Prince Louis on April 23. Though she has attended some events, like Trooping the Colour, she’s mostly scaled back her day-to-day activities. According to ABC News, she’s expected to return to her royal duties six months after giving birth, like she did with Princess Charlotte. So get ready to see the Duchess of Cambridge more often this fall.

From: Town & Country US