The Earthshot Prize is preparing to host its third annual awards ceremony in Singapore next month and while its founder, Prince William, will be in attendance, his wife will not. This presents the project with a challenge to maintain media interest without the added draw of the glamorous princess.
The prize was founded by William in 2020, based on President John F. Kennedy's ambitious "moonshot" speech, which set in motion the United States' goal to land a man on the moon. Its aim is to help protect, maintain and restore our planet by seeking out and funding grassroots eco-initiatives around the world.
The prince is the charity's president and each year a council of experts collates a list of projects eligible for one of the five grants of £1 million ($1.22 million) each. The finalists are then invited to a glittering awards ceremony held in a global environmental hub where the winners are announced.
At the 2021 ceremony in London and then in Boston in 2022, William and Kate were guests of honor, providing fans with a chance to see the couple on the red carpet. The 2022 event was planned as the centrepiece of a series of visits made by the royal couple around Boston, drawing the attention of the world's media.
However, this year it has been announced that Kate will not travel to Singapore with her husband for the event, and instead she will remain with the couple's three children as their eldest, Prince George, undertakes school exams.
In the past, public interest in the royals has been weighted towards the female members of the family, something Princess Diana said added a tension in the early days of her marriage to Prince Charles (now King Charles III).
William has shown no outward sign of having an issue with the general interest in Kate, including extensive coverage on what she wears or says, and by contrast this has been seen as a benefit to projects where the couple can combine their star power to draw public attention, such as the Earthshot Prize ceremony.
Whether Kate's absence will impact on the level of media coverage given to the project this year remains to be seen, but the prince's team was given a hopeful glimpse of what may come earlier this year, when he made a solo visit to New York to attend the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit.
William paid a short visit to New York in September, where the summit was hosted in collaboration with philanthropist Michael Bloomberg, and he saw the announcement of the 2023 prize finalists.
While in the city, William visited eco-plan the Billion Dollar Oyster Project and met with dignitaries including UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
The royal drew crowds during his visit and undertook a walkabout, greeting well-wishers during a visit to an NYPD firehouse to discuss mental health issues faced by first responders, which was extensively covered by the press.
Kensington Palace has announced a more ambitious program for the prince's visit to Singapore. The visit will take place from November 5 to 8 and will include welcome events, the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony itself, a visit to a dragon boat race and the United for Wildlife Global Summit 2023.
Not only could the prince's tour face a reduced degree of media interest owing to Kate's absence, but it also faces being overshadowed by King Charles and Queen Camilla's first State Opening of Parliament, which will take place on November 7 in London.
The historic ceremony will see the king and queen travel to the Palace of Westminster, where Charles will read his first government-issued speech as monarch. The speech sets out the government's core objectives for the coming parliamentary session and can draw criticism, resulting in extended press coverage.
These factors combined leave William's key project with challenges as it seeks to capture the attention of the public and media.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
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