The Surprising Reason Prince William's Latest Comments Might Upset His Son

Royal family members are known for highlighting issues that are close to their hearts, and for Prince William, one such initiative of his might come at a small price. Speaking to the BBC ahead of the first-ever Earthshot Prize, which aimed to reward people with innovative ideas to save the planet and its natural resources, the Duke of Cambridge commented on the apparent space race between billionaires, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Sir Richard Branson. 

"We need some of the world's greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live," the senior royal said. "I think that ultimately is what sold it for me — that really is quite crucial to be focusing on this [planet] rather than giving up and heading out into space to try and think of solutions for the future," he added. 

However, as well-intended as they may sound, William's comments regarding the damaging impacts of space tourism might not be so well received by his youngest child, Prince Louis.

While Prince William may be focusing on keeping billionaires on the ground and dedicating resources to this planet, not others elsewhere in space, his young son might have a differing opinion. According to Good To Know, Prince Louis is reportedly obsessed with all things spaceships and was recently photographed with a space rocket-themed backpack during a family vacation in October 2021.

However, the future king isn't likely to back down on his stance over space travel, despite his son's fascination with the topic. Speaking to the BBC, William also said he had "absolutely no interest" in traveling up to space, adding that there is a "fundamental question" to be asked over the carbon cost of space tourism. 

The Duke of Cambridge's comments were in reference to the so-called billionaire space race, which has so far included Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' mission up to space in July 2021 on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket along with his brother Mark Bezos, aviation pioneer Wally Funk, and 18-year-old Oliver Daemen. Per the Independent, Bezos' mission arrived just days after Sir Richard Branson's very own venture into space on his Virgin Galactic spacecraft.