On New Year’s Eve 2019, Prince William launched a new prize that aims to honor special contributions to environmental protection: the Earthshot Prize. The topic has a long tradition in his family, said the heir to the throne, referring to his late grandfather Prince Philip and his father, King Charles III.
In 2021, the prize was awarded directly on William’s doorstep, at Alexandra Palace in London. But just a year later, the prince and his wife Kate had to fly several thousand miles to attend the environmental ceremony: the award ceremony took place in Boston. The couple at least used the long journey for representative appointments. Among other things, they met US President Joe Biden and attended a Boston Celtics game.
This year the Earthshot Prize will be awarded in Singapore, and of course the Royal will not miss the chance to be there in person. Prince William will therefore fly to the East Asian country from November 5th to 7th – this time without his wife. Numerous celebrities will make the long journey for this – including US actresses Cate Blanchett and Lana Condor.
The fact that many people have to travel thousands of miles by plane to attend the environmental event is not entirely unproblematic. It was already said in advance that both Prince William and other prominent guests would not arrive by private jet, but would take a scheduled flight – in order to reduce CO2 emissions.
But that’s not enough for many people. The behavior is heavily criticized online. In a post by royal correspondent Cameron Walker on X (formerly Twitter), many users questioned the travel behavior of Prince William and the other stars. “The Earthshot Prize sounds like a huge environmental disaster. Do they ever get off the plane?” asks one user, referring to the flying celebrities. Another user asks regarding William: “How many times has he promised to cut emissions?”
Despite all the justified criticism: The Earthshot Prize is worth one million British pounds. Five million pounds are distributed in the five categories every year – money that can be invested in important environmental projects. It is also designed to run for ten years, meaning a total of £50 million will be made available over this decade. A contribution that certainly weighs more heavily than a few traveling celebrities.
Source: Cameron Walter on X
