Prince William has admitted he felt emotional during The Earthshot Prize award ceremony on Wednesday evening.
The Prince of Wales had a front-row seat during the glitzy star-studded event.
Princess Kate did not attend the event as she opted to stay in the UK and focus on her health after recently completing preventative chemotherapy treatment.
The Princess of Wales had accompanied her husband at the first two additions of The Earthshot Prize but was absent from the 2023 ceremony as well as this year’s awards.
Prince William has admitted he felt emotional during The Earthshot Prize award ceremony on Wednesday evening.
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The opening performance saw a performance of the Circle of Life from The Lion King.
Prince William said watching the performance moved him and made him reflect on all the work put into The Earthshot Prize.
He said: “It’s a global environmental prize. It takes time, it takes a lot of effort. It takes a lot of balancing to get it right.
William continued: “I don’t know about everyone else, but hearing the Lion King and things like that gets me quite emotional.
Prince William said watching the performance moved him and made him reflect on all the work put into The Earthshot Prize.
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“So, when they started singing and I saw the clips from the top of the table mountain and we were all there and it’s happened. I did feel quite emotional.
“But the key thing is really the impact now. We need to translate the sort of effort that we put into the visibility of the prize and particularly the visibility of the solutions.
“They cover all sectors in all walks of life. Brilliant people, some barely started, some been a bit more established and have a bit more money.
“But overall all doing fantastic work in the same direction. And I think the key thing for us is how do we translate that into more impact, more scale, and ultimately, greater progress in tackling environmental challenges.”
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The award ceremony was the focal point of William’s trip to South Africa, it was the fourth annual Earthshot Prize and the first in Africa.
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The award ceremony was the focal point of William’s trip to South Africa, it was the fourth annual Earthshot Prize and the first in Africa.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson described the award ceremony as the Prince of Wales’s “Super Bowl” moment.
On Wednesday morning, Prince William had the opportunity to meet with the 15 finalists of the 2024 Earthshot Prize at the world-famous Kirstenbosch Gardens in Cape Town.
William spoke with all finalists, learning about their experiences with the Earthshot Prize Fellowship Programme.