The Real Reason Prince William Is Headed To NYC

Royal fans in the U.S. are counting down the days until Prince William and Catherine Middleton's upcoming trip — their first to the country since 2014. In July 2022, the Duke of Cambridge tweeted that the royal couple would be visiting Boston in December to present The Earthshot Prize to five new winners.

Boston was chosen to host the second awards ceremony due to its connection with President John F. Kennedy's "Moonshot," which is an inspiration for The Earthshot Prize. Over a decade, the Prize seeks to protect the planet and fight climate change by presenting 50 £1 million prizes (via The Telegraph). The Earthshot Prize focuses on five distinct categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate.

Other than the awards ceremony in Boston, no specifics of the Cambridges' itinerary have been released yet for their December trip. However, according to journalist Omid Scobie, tentative plans are in the works. These include a possible fundraising dinner, additional royal appearances in Boston, and maybe a stop in Washington, D.C. (via Yahoo! News U.K.). And now, to add to the excitement, Prince William will be making an even earlier U.S. appearance.

The Earthshot Prize and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced a special event taking place in New York City September 21, 2022. The Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit will include winners and finalists of the 2021 Prize along with leaders and philanthropists from around the world. Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are teaming up to speak at the event, per People.

According to The Earthshot Prize, the Summit's purpose is "to drive impact around systems-changing climate solutions and amplify The Earthshot Prize's call to accelerate progress to repair our planet through collaboration and bold innovation."

As Global Advisor to the Winners of The Earthshot Prize, Bloomberg works with award recipients so their solutions can have the biggest possible impact. "Accelerating the world's climate progress requires us to take urgent, ambitious action from every angle," Bloomberg, who is also the UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, said. "As global leaders get set to gather in New York, the Bloomberg team is working with our partners Prince William and The Earthshot Prize to showcase the most innovative climate solutions and help them spread more quickly."

Just like the ambitious "Moonshot" challenge, The Earthshot Prize aims at creating a lasting positive impact. While only five ideas get the prize money each year, both winners and finalists are partnered with investors and organizations to assist them in developing their solutions, per USA Today.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge continues to engage with winners and finalists of The Earthshot Prize long after the awards ceremony. Besides the upcoming September summit, William appeared on the "Climate of Change" podcast along with one Earthshot winner and two finalists. Hosted by Cate Blanchett (who is a member of the award's Prize Council) and Danny Kennedy, the April 2022 episode gave updates on the winners and finalists' projects, per The Earthshot Prize.

William and Catherine Middleton even made a personal visit to Coral Vita, 2021 winners in the "Revive Our Oceans" category (via The Earthshot Prize). Run by Sam Teicher and Gator Halpern, Coral Vita is working to revitalize coral reefs through coral farming. Speaking to People, the duo highlighted the importance of the winners and finalists working together. "The other finalists are so inspiring," they said. "We're already thinking about the synergies that exist between us all and the different partners within the Earthshot community."

The Republic of Costa Rica and Restor, 2021 winner and finalist in the "Protect and Restore Nature" category, have already teamed up. The country is using Restor's online platform to track the progress of rebuilding the country's forests. "By sharing our payment for ecosystem services projects on Restor, Costa Rica is making its commitments on forest loss and recovery transparent, traceable, and accountable," Andrea Meza Murillo, Costa Rica's Minister of Environment and Energy, said (via United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration).