Why Ed Sheeran's Recent Royal Performance Might Have Kate And William Nervous

Prince William and Kate Middleton were surrounded by stars at their recent Earthshot Prize ceremony, which took place in London on Sunday. As People reported, celebrities including Emma Thompson and Emma Watson were on hand to give out the various awards, taking the opportunity to make impassioned pleas for better climate change control across the board. Thompson stated emphatically, "Humans are not designed to waste their resources. More of us are going to have to go back to making do and mending and it will make us happy. The state of things at the moment is wildly unbalanced and out of kilter."

Watson, meanwhile, acknowledged, "I've spent much of my working life acting in fictional make-believe worlds where the impossible can be made possible. Now, we need to the same thing for climate change here in the real world." There were plenty of high-profile performers involved too, with Coldplay kicking things off by playing their latest single "My Universe," featuring BTS, in an impressively environmentally friendly show. Shawn Mendes sent everyone home on a high, while Ed Sheeran performed his new track "Visiting Hours." As the Daily Mail notes, fans have been waiting a long four years for his new album.

However, although Sheeran impressed on the night, a new development means William and Kate might be second-guessing having the pop star perform at their show.

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran took to Instagram to reveal to his millions of fans that he had tested positive for COVID-19. In characteristically upbeat fashion, Sheeran shared, "Quick note to tell you that I've sadly tested positive for Covid, so I'm now self-isolating and following government guidelines." As CNN notes, the timing couldn't be worse, since the beloved pop star's upcoming album, entitled "=" (i.e. "equals"), is due to drop Friday. Sheeran has been working on it for the past four years. Sheeran continued, in his post, "It means that I'm now unable to plough ahead with any in person commitments for now, so I'll be doing as many of my planned interviews / performances I can from my house. Apologies to anyone I've let down."

Although Sheeran didn't confirm his vaccination status, it's reasonable to assume he got the jab at some stage. During a recent appearance on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," the Brits teamed up for a rousing rendition of Sheeran's mega-hit "Shape of You," with the lyrics cleverly re-written to be about the COVID-19 vaccine. "Moderna or Pfizer will do. You'll be good after jab number two, but wait two weeks for it to take effect," they implored everybody watching. As People confirms, Sheeran's most recent performance was at the Earthshot Prize event, so Prince William and Kate Middleton might be getting slightly worried about whether they're close contacts. Hopefully, everybody comes out of this safe and healthy.