The UK's Prince William and his wife Kate arrived in the US city of Boston on Wednesday before the awards ceremony for the Earthshot Prize.
Crowds waited in torrential rain to catch a glimpse of the couple and to welcome them to City Hall in Boston, the home town of president John F Kennedy.
It was the late president who inspired the prince to launch Earthshot, based on Kennedy’s moonshot challenge – to put a man on the Moon.
“Like President Kennedy, Catherine and I firmly believe that we all have it in ourselves to achieve great things, and that human beings have the ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve," Prince William told the crowd.
“We cannot wait to celebrate the Earthshot Prize finalists later on this week, and we are both looking forward to spending the next few days learning about the innovative ways the people of Massachusetts are tackling climate change.”
Most of the trip will be focused on the Prince of Wales's initiative to find and fund the environmental entrepreneurs of a new generation through the Earthshot awards, which support companies and people focused on helping the planet.
The royal couple's visit coincides with a trip being made by US President Joe Biden, who will reportedly be making an appearance at a Democratic fundraiser in the city.
"The President intends to greet the Prince and Princess of Wales when he is in Boston," White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.
Notable members of the Kennedy family - in pictures
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Members of the Kennedy family pose for a photo circa 1948 in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts. From left, John, Jean, Rose, Joseph Sr, Patricia, Robert, Eunice and in the foreground Edward. AP -
Joseph Patrick Kennedy, wife Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy and their five children pose in the garden of the US embassy in London in 1937. Getty Images -
John F Kennedy and wife Jacqueline take a ride on their sailboat in Hyannis Port. AP -
President-elect John F Kennedy, centre, is surrounded by family members. AP -
John F Kennedy, right, and Richard Nixon appear in the fourth and final presidential debate in New York. The 1960 presidential election offered the country's first televised debates. AP -
Former US president Dwight Eisenhower shakes hands with Jacqueline Kennedy as she and president-elect John F Kennedy arrive at the North Portico of the White House on inauguration day, January 20, 1961. AP -
President John F Kennedy and British prime minister at the time Harold Macmillan stand in the West Wing Colonnade of the White House in 1961. AFP -
Jackie Kennedy boards a plane with her sister, Lee Radziwill. Getty Images -
Edward Kennedy at the White House in 1962, flanked by his brothers Robert and John. AP -
Jackie Kennedy leads her daughter Caroline's pony, Macaroni, while giving gives a tour of the White House grounds to Empress Farah Pahlavi of Iran in 1962. AP -
The Kennedy children play in the Oval Office at White House. AFP -
Deputy administrator of Nasa Robert Seamans and Wernher von Braun with John F Kennedy in November 1963. Nasa / AP -
Jackie Kennedy with her children during the funeral of her husband on November 25, 1963. AP -
Eunice Kennedy cheers on a young athlete during the Special Olympics, started by the Kennedy family. Getty Images -
Joe Biden when he was in the Senate with Edward Kennedy in 1987. AP -
Joe Biden talks to then-president Bill Clinton's Supreme Court nominee Stephen Breyer, as Edward Kennedy looks on. AP -
John F Kennedy Jr answering journalists questions soon after his mother Jackie Kennedy's death in New York. AFP -
John F Kennedy Jr and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy arrive at the White House for a state dinner in 1998. Both died in a plane crash in 1999. AFP -
A woman adds a candle to a makeshift memorial during a candlelight vigil for Edward Kennedy in Washington. Getty Images / AFP -
Former US representative Joseph Kennedy II speaking at the John F Kennedy Presidential Library in Boston in 2009. AP -
The Kennedy brothers, from left, John, Robert and Edward. AP -
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, seen here at Viking Press, became a book editor. Photo: Corbis -
Caroline Kennedy, the sole surviving child of president John F Kennedy, is the current US ambassador to Australia and previously served as ambassador to Japan under president Barack Obama. Getty Images / AFP -
John F Kennedy, right, Robert F Kennedy, second from right, and Patricia Kennedy, front left, pose with friends in Palm Beach in 1936. AP -
Eunice Kennedy Shriver with her husband, Robert Sargent Shriver. Photo: WireImage -
Wearing a gown by Christian Dior, Eunice Kennedy marries Robert Sargent Shriver in 1957. Getty Images -
Maria Shriver and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007. Ms Shriver is the daughter of Eunice Kennedy Shriver. AP -
President Sheikh Mohamed, who was Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi at the time, greets Maria Shriver. Photo: Ministry of the Presidential Court -
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have three children: Christina, Patrick and Katherine. AP -
Maria Shriver speaks during the Women's March in Los Angeles in 2021. AFP -
Robert F Kennedy addresses campaign workers moments before being shot in Los Angeles in 1968, his wife Ethel at his side. AP -
Barack Obama presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Ethel Kennedy, widow of Robert F Kennedy, in 2014. Reuters -
The Kennedy Family at Hyannis Port in 1931. From left, Robert, John, Eunice, Jean, Joseph Senior, Rose, Patricia, Kathleen, Joseph Jr and Rosemary. The dog in the foreground is Buddy. Photo: John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum -
Katherine Schwarzenegger, daughter of Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger, is married to US actor Chris Pratt. AP -
Robert F Kennedy's daughter Kerry Kennedy in 2021. She was previously married to former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. AFP -
Robert F Kennedy Jr speaks at the Defeat the Mandates rally in Washington, protesting against the Covid-19 vaccine. EPA -
US actress Cheryl Hines is married to Robert F Kennedy Jr. AFP -
Cheryl Hines condemned her husband's remarks comparing the Covid vaccine and mask mandates to the Holocaust. Getty -
Arnold Schwarzenegger and daughter Christina Schwarzenegger. Photo: US Special Olympics
"We are still finalising and working through the details."
In their first trip abroad since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the couple's visit started with a meeting with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu at city hall.
The couple will on Thursday visit Greentown Labs, a climate technology start-up incubator in Somerville, to learn about local innovations.
They will then head to Chelsea to visit Roca, a non-profit organisation focused on reducing youth violence, local news station WBUR reported.
On Friday, their last day in Boston, they will visit Harvard’s Centre of the Developing Child in Cambridge before taking a tour of the John F Kennedy Library with Caroline Kennedy, member of the famed political family and US ambassador to Australia.
Later that same day, they will reveal the five winners of the Earthshot awards at MGM Music Hall in Fenway.
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.
The initiative, which has a total prize fund of £50 million, was launched in 2021 and will continue every year until 2030, with people from around the world presenting ambitious projects to fix the globe's biggest environmental problems.
Earthshot awards 2022 lineup — in pictures
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Britain's Prince William speaks on stage during the inaugural Earthshot Prize awards ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London in October 2021. AFP -
Billie Eilish will headline the star-studded awards ceremony, held in the US city of Boston. PA -
English singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding will also be present at the event. AFP -
Daniel Dae Kim is co-hosting the Earthshot awards with the BBC's Clara Amfo. AFP -
Rami Malek will also appear at the Earthshot Prize awards in Boston. AFP -
Catherine O'Hara is set to present an award. Reuters -
Shailene Woodley is part of a group of actors and performers making appearances at the Earthshot Prize event. AP
After their arrival at Boston's Logan International Airport, the Prince of Wales expressed his appreciation for the city's hospitality on Twitter.
"Catherine and I are delighted to be back in the United States," Prince William wrote.
"On this, our first overseas visit since the death of my grandmother, I would like to thank the people of Massachusetts and particularly of Boston for their many tributes paid to the late queen.
"Catherine and I can't wait to meet many of you in the days ahead."
The BBC’s Clara Amfo and American actor Daniel Dae Kim are co-hosting the event, and actors Rami Malek, Catherine O’Hara and Shailene Woodley are presenting awards.
Billie Eilish and Ellie Goulding are performing.
The ceremony will be broadcast by the BBC in the UK, PBS in the US and Multichoice across Africa.
