The dad-of-three had planned
to make an appearance at The Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New
York on Wednesday but regrettably pulled out owing to his grandmother’s
mourning period.
In a pre-recorded video, the
royal shared a touching message in which he mentioned the late monarch. William
gushed: “Although it is the saddest of circumstances that means I cannot
join you in person today, I am pleased to be able to join you in video form as
you gather in New York for the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit.
“During this time of
grief, I take great comfort in your continued enthusiasm, optimism and
commitment to The Earthshot Prize and what we are trying to achieve.”
Paying tribute to Her Majesty,
the 40-year-old added: “Protecting the environment was a cause close to my
grandmother’s heart, and I know she would have been delighted to hear about
this event and the support you are all giving our Earthshot Finalists – the
next generation of environmental pioneers.”
Prince William’s heartfelt
message comes ahead of the hotly anticipated Earthshot Prize finals which will
take place in December this year.
The Prince and Princess of
Wales are expected to travel to Boston where they’ll announce the second annual
cohort of Earthshot Prize winners. In anticipation, William added: “We
look forward to seeing you all very soon.”
The Earthshot Prize has been
inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s ‘Moonshot’ programme in the
1960s, which urged millions of people to support the US space programme.
It is based on five
‘Earthshot’ goals: Protect and restore nature; fix our climate; clean our air;
revive our oceans and build a waste-free world.
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William and Kate attended the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in 2021
Five £1 million prizes will be
awarded each year for the next ten years, providing at least 50 solutions to
the world’s most significant environmental problems by 2030.
