Prince William will travel to the US on Wednesday for his “Super Bowl” moment, which some royal commentators say threatens to be overshadowed by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The future British king will be joined by his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, to attend an awards ceremony for the environmental accolade the Earthshot Prize on Friday.
Earthshot awards - in pictures
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Prince William and his wife, Kate, Princess of Wales, attend the first Earthshot Prize awards ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London. AP -
London mayor Sadiq Khan and his wife, Saadiya, attend the awards last year. AFP -
British politician William Hague and his wife, Ffion, arrive on the green carpet at Alexandra Palace. EPA -
Philip Reeker, charge d’affaires of the US mission to the UK. EPA -
Actress Emma Thompson arrives at the Earthshot awards ceremony in London. Reuters -
Actor David Oyelowo and his wife, Jessica, were among the guests. Reuters -
Presenters Dermot O’Leary and Clara Amfo arrive at the Earthshot awards ceremony. Reuters -
Football player Dani Alves and his wife, Joana Sanz, step on to the green carpet. Reuters -
Liverpool FC player Mohamed Salah arrives. Reuters -
Prince William and Kate speak to guests. AP
A member of the royal household told reporters the trip would be a critical moment for Prince William.
"The prize has become the prince's Super Bowl moment of the year and he looks forward to continuing to use the platform each year to shine a light on some of the most impactful projects doing amazing things around the world to save our planet's future."
It will be the first time the couple have visited the US since the Sussexes made the country their permanent home in 2020.
Their last trip was in November 2014, when they were guests of then-president Barack Obama at the White House.
But this trip will not be a social visit, like the one Prince William’s mother, Princess Diana, made in 1989, when she toured New York City, or the earlier visit to the Reagan White House in 1985 when she caught the public imagination by dancing with film star John Travolta.
The royal couple will remain in Boston to focus on environmental issues ahead of a glamorous ceremony to announce the winners of the Earthshot Prize, which Prince William established.
Hannah Jones, Earthshot chief executive, said the prince had been an ambitious leader.
“He’s wonderfully, unreasonably ambitious, as it should be,” she told The Telegraph.
“Why can’t we do it like that? And why can’t we go 10 times faster? We do not have time, we have to go bigger, we have to make more of an impact.
“It’s an absolute joy to work for someone like that because he really is passionate.”
Boston, birthplace of John F. Kennedy, was chosen to host the second annual prize ceremony because the late president’s 1962 “Moonshot” speech — setting the challenge for Americans to reach the Moon by the end of the decade — inspired the prince and his partners to set a similar goal for finding solutions to climate change and other environmental problems by 2030.
When Harry met the Kennedys
The trip will come days before Prince Harry and his wife Meghan receive the Ripple of Hope award from Robert F Kennedy’s daughter for standing up to the alleged racism she experienced when they were working members of the royal family.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The National: “The royal family’s trips abroad are the ultimate in soft power.
“The Earthshot Prize is especially significant as it is searching for new ideas to help save the planet.
“It is unfortunate, to put it mildly, that its serious purpose may be overshadowed by the Sussexes accepting the Ripple of Hope Award for challenging the royal family, which, since they get their contracts by being members of it, is perverse.
“Ironically, both the Earthshot Prize and the Ripple of Hope award have links with the Kennedys, who are American royalty.”
A source close to Prince William said Earthshot was the couple’s "number one focus" from which they will not be distracted.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are set to receive the Ripple of Hope from Robert F. Kennedy’s daughter, Kerry Kennedy, at a ceremony in New York on December 6.
Ms Kennedy previously described the Sussexes’ interview with Oprah Winfrey — in which Ms Markle spoke out about the alleged racism she experienced from the royal family — as "a heroic stand".
Among other revelations, she said there was concern within the royal family about her baby’s skin tone.
There were several “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he was born”, said the Duchess, who on Tuesday released the latest and final episode of her podcast Archetypes, which at Prince Harry’s suggestion features male guests for the first time.
Prince William and Prince Harry through the years - in pictures
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Prince William and Prince Harry join Queen Elizabeth II's funeral procession towards St George's Chapel in September 2022 in Windsor. Getty Images -
The royal brothers attend a vigil in honour of the queen at Westminster Hall, central London. Getty Images -
Prince William, his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Harry, and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, at Westminster Hall as the queen's coffin is carried in. Getty Images -
The princes and their wives on the Long Walk at Windsor Castle, heading to meet mourners who had gathered and left tributes to Queen Elizabeth. Getty Images -
Prince William and Prince Harry unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Princess Diana in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, in July 2021. Getty Images -
The princes at the ceremonial procession during the funeral of Prince Philip at Windsor Castle in April 2021. Getty Images -
The princes are joined by their wives for a Commonwealth Day service in March 2020 in London. Getty Images -
(L-R) Prince William, Sir David Attenborough, Prince Charles — now king — and Prince Harry attend the world premiere of Our Planet at London's Natural History Museum in April 2019. Getty Images -
The princes and their wives leave a Christmas Day service at the Church of St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, in December 2018. Getty Images -
Prince William and Prince Harry attend the opening of the Greenhouse Sports Centre in 2018 in London. Getty Images -
Prince William and Prince Harry watch the RAF 100th anniversary flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace alongside the queen, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Getty Images -
Prince William, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry attend an Anzac Day service at Westminster Abbey in 2018. Getty Images -
Prince Harry with his best man, Prince William, as they wait for the start of his wedding ceremony to Meghan in 2018. Getty Images -
The princes race against each other at a London Marathon training day at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2017. Getty Images -
The princes try out light sabres during a tour of the Star Wars sets at Pinewood studio, London, in 2016. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William raise their wands on the set used to depict Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter films. Getty Images -
The princes take part in the late queen's diamond jubilee celebrations at Buckingham Palace in 2012. Getty Images -
Prince Harry, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince William wave from the royal barge Spirit of Chartwell in 2012. Getty Images -
Prince William takes the hand of his bride Kate, followed by Prince Harry and Pippa Middleton as they walk down the aisle of Westminster Abbey in 2011. Getty Images -
The princes chat before the wedding in 2011. Getty Images -
The princes pose with David Beckham at an FA reception in Johannesburg, South Africa. Getty Images -
The princes on a visit to a classroom lit by oil lamps in Semongkong, Lesotho, in 2010. Getty Images -
The princes celebrate a try during the 2007 Rugby World Cup final between England and South Africa in 2007. Getty Images -
The princes pose for an official photograph for the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla in 2005. Getty Images -
The princes follow the coffin of their grandmother and Princess Diana's mother, Frances Shand Kydd, in 2004. Getty Images -
Queen Elizabeth waves to the crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace as Prince Harry and Prince William look on after attending the Trooping of the Colour ceremony in 2003. Getty Images -
Prince Charles and his sons William and Harry appear at a photo call in the Swiss village of Klosters at the start of his annual skiing holiday in 2002. Getty Images -
Princes William and Harry appear with the Queen Mother during celebrations to mark her 101st birthday in 2001. Getty Images -
Prince Philip, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles follow the coffin of Princess Diana in September 1997. Getty Images -
Prince William and Prince Harry pose with Princess Diana and Prince Charles on Prince William's first day at Eton College in 1995. Getty Images -
Princess Diana with the young princes at the piano in Kensington Palace in 1985. Getty Images -
Prince Charles and Princess Diana with their sons aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia in Venice in 1985. Getty Images
Some royal observers say the Ripple of Hope has placed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a difficult position, as publicly receiving such an award could widen the rift between the brothers.
The relationship could also further deteriorate as a result of potential revelations in a coming Netflix documentary and Prince Harry’s eagerly anticipated memoir Spare, due to be released in January.
“You could say that the royal family, particularly as far as America is concerned, have had a bit of a bumpy ride of late,’’ said Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty Magazine.
“They’ve come in for huge amounts of criticism on the back of The Crown and also the Oprah Winfrey interview, which has not particularly reflected well on the House of Windsor, so I think it’s a good opportunity whilst they’re in the US … to redress the balance, if at all possible."
The voice of broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, a supporter of the Earthshot Prize since its inception, will open the show, with Oscar-winning actress and Earthshot judging panel member Cate Blanchett narrating a look back at last year's winners.
Actor Rami Malek, who played singer Freddie Mercury in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, will present an award, as will actress Catherine O'Hara, who starred in the film Home Alone, and environmental activist and actress Shailene Woodley.
Earthshot offers £1 million ($1.2 million) in prize money to the winners of five separate categories: nature protection, clean air, ocean revival, waste elimination and climate change. The winners and all 15 finalists also receive help in expanding their projects to meet global demand.
They include finalists from the UK for the first time, with two British-based entries selected.
Notpla Hard Material — a start-up run by Pierre Paslier and Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez in London — makes packaging from seaweed and plants as an alternative to single-use plastic, and has already produced more than one million biodegradable takeaway food boxes for Just Eat.
The other UK finalist. Low Carbon Materials, based in Durham, north-east England, uses unrecyclable plastic waste to make traditional concrete blocks carbon-zero.
