Earthshot Prize: Kate Middleton speaks at ceremony

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

Kate and Prince William attended on Sunday the first-ever ceremony of the Duke of Cambridge’s Earthshot Prize, a decade-long initiative awarding five winners every year who presented workable solutions to pressing environmental issues. The awards were held at Alexandra Palace in London and included a green carpet, musical guests and the support of influencing personalities including naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

According to royal author Duncan Larcombe, this event didn’t just portray the global reach of the Earthshot initiative but also gave the chance to Prince William to assert his authority over Prince Harry and Meghan – who also have a keen interest in protecting the environment – when it comes to tackling the climate crisis.

The expert believes the Cambridges may have launched a silent message to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their successful event.

He told OK! magazine: “That was Prince William the rockstar.

“He’s being likened to James Bond, he was dressed in that absolutely uncharacteristic velvet jacket and when you see things like that, you see the message to Harry and Meghan. 

“It’s the message that anything you can do, we can do better.”

The royal expert added: “I think it’s an indication that they’re not going to let Harry and Meghan distract them, the job goes on and William and Kate are the ones shaping it into their own way of doing things.”

The first award event of the Earthshot Prize was carried out bearing in mind its carbon footprint.

No guests travelled to London exclusively for this event and those in attendance were asked not to buy new outfits but recycle old ones. 

Kate and Prince William led by example, as the Duchess of Cambridge wore a lilac Alexander McQueen gown she had previously donned in 2011 at a BAFTA dinner at the Belasco Theatre in Los Angeles.

Similarly, the Duke’s velvet blazer was first worn in public in 2019 for the Centrepoint 50th Anniversary Gala at the Roundhouse.

Three days after the end of the first aware ceremony, Kensington Palace shared a few black-and-white pictures showing Kate and Prince William behind the scenes of the Alexandra Palace stage.

Prince William isn’t the first member of the Royal Family to spearhead an initiative focused on the environment.

His father Prince Charles started speaking about air and ocean pollution and climate change five decades ago and has promoted dozens of initiatives surrounding these topics during the years.

In 2021, he launched the Sustainable Markets Initiative, which aims at creating a “coalition of the willing” – corporations and business leaders ready to push for a greener economy and place sustainability at the heart of their work.

Prince Harry has also spearheaded several initiatives over the years.

As the patron of African Parks since 2017, he has often spoken about conservation.

In 2019, he led the launch of Travalyst, a coalition of leaders in the tourism industry trying to make sustainable travel mainstream.

Most recently, Prince Harry launched a campaign in partnership with environmental non-profit Re:wild in a bid to stop oil drilling in southern Africa’s Okavango River Basin.

In line with his years-long commitment to conservation, the Duke of Sussex showed concern over the exploitation of the area, which is home to hundreds of thousands of people, critically endangered wildlife, and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

To draw attention to this issue, he co-authored an article in the Washington Post with Namibian environmental activist Reinhold Mangundu.

Together, the pair called for the end of the oil and gas drilling in the region.

Earthshot Prize: Prince William delivers speech

Meghan and Harry stepped down as senior royals in late March 2020.

They have since created their own charitable body, the Archewell Foundation, which has promoted a number of causes – including the creation of a more human digital space, mentorship and the fight against misinformation.

The Sussexes have also launched a for-profit production powerhouse, which will see the couple creating audio and video content for Spotify and Netflix.

Source: Read Full Article