Meghan Markle was honoured for her groundbreaking podcast series Archetypes at an awards ceremony in Beverly Hills last night but didn't pick up the gong in person.
The Duchess of Sussex was named top Entertainment Podcast Host at the Gracie Awards presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation in the United States.
The awards celebrate and honour programming created for women, by women, and about women.
The podcast saw Meghan engaged in candid conversations about the labels and tropes that try to hold women back with guests including Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, Paris Hilton and Mindy Kaling.
Meghan sent a thank you to the Gracie Awards but didn't attend in person.
"Thank you to the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation for this prestigious honor," she said.
"This is a shared success for me and the team behind Archetypes – most of whom are women – and the inspiring guests who joined me each week."
It comes as little surprise that Meghan would avoid another public appearance so soon after her disastrous night out in New York last week.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended the Ms Foundation for Women’s 50th-anniversary gala but afterwards they released a statement saying they were involved in a "near catastrophic car chase" between their yellow cab and the US paparazzi.
Mayah Riaz, a PR expert said there could be "many reasons" why Meghan didn't attend the awards during an "overwhelming time for the couple".
"The Gracies is an important recognition for Meghan, as the focus is on achievement by women, for women, and about women in all areas of media," Riaz said.
"She would be alongside other notable women within the industry. She received the recognition for her Archetypes podcast and the conversations she had on there.”
Meanwhile, Kieran Elsby, PR expert at Media PR Global suggests Meghan's no-show might nod to a "less is more" approach to public appearances.
"Celebrities and public figures often have busy schedules, and conflicts or personal circumstances may arise that prevent them from attending events," Elsby said.
"Personally, I actually think she seems to be doing fewer public appearances recently.
"Adopting ‘the less is more’ approach is a good media tactic, as she won’t over saturate the news and then when she does have a big announcement, or event she will grab more headlines."
