Prince William cut a lonely figure at the Hobbit premiere last night, walking the green carpet alone as Kate's lingering illness forced her to cancel a fourth engagement.
The Duke of Cambridge arrived at London's Leicester Square late and looking rather sombre in an unusual black tuxedo.
He smiled as he waved to screaming fans, but was obviously missing his wife's presence, telling the cinema's general manager: "Kate would have loved to have been here."
It was the fourth official engagement Kate has been forced to pull out of since she was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum — a rare complication of pregnancy that causes constant nausea and vomiting, making eating and drinking nearly impossible — last week.
Kate reported she was "feeling better" when she was discharged from hospital on Friday, but fell ill again on Sunday, forcing William to cancel an engagement to stay by her side.
UK media are now predicting Kate won't be seen in public until Christmas, and maybe not even until after the baby is born next year.
Hyeremesis gravidarum often lasts throughout a pregnancy, and has even been known to continue several weeks after birth.
Eighty percent of women who have it never have another baby because they are so traumatised by their experience with the condition.
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