Kate Middleton and Prince William are shipping out to Boston later this year.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announced on Wednesday that they are heading across the pond to Massachusetts in early December for William’s second annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.
“In 2022, we’re back and bringing Earthshot to the USA, where we’ll award the next five winners of the prize,” the duke said in a video, which then showed Boston Red Sox player Xander Bogaerts in Fenway Stadium.
“And we will be doing it right here in Boston,” Bogaerts said.
The environmental initiative, which was announced last year, offers prize money to “the planet’s greatest problem solvers” for issues facing the planet, according to Kensington Palace.
The Earthshot Prize partnered with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the city of Boston for the ceremony.
Kensington Palace said in a statement last year that Earthshots was inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s ambitious Moonshot approach to get a man on the moon in the 1960s.
Caroline Kennedy, the U.S. ambassador to Australia and JFK’s daughter, said in a statement released by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation on Wednesday that there is “no more important Moonshot today than repairing the planet and no better place to harness the Moonshot spirit than the City of Boston.”
She called the partnership between the library foundation and the royals “a great tribute to President Kennedy.”
Wu added in a separate statement that Boston hosting the 2022 ceremony will “shine a global spotlight on our efforts to combat climate change and demonstrate that, together, we can meet the urgency this moment demands with innovative solutions that protect our planet and future generations.”
Samir Hussein via Getty Images
William’s work follows in the footsteps of his father, Prince Charles, who for decades has been an advocate for the environment and warned of the catastrophic effects of climate change.
Charles spoke about the urgency of climate change action earlier this week after temperatures hit record-breaking highs in the U.K.
“As I have tried to indicate for quite some time, the climate crisis really is a genuine emergency and tackling it is utterly essential – for Cornwall, the country and the rest of the world,” the Prince of Wales said at an event in Cornwall on Monday, according to The Telegraph.
Prince Harry also spoke about the “extreme weather” present in both Africa and around the world during a keynote address at the U.N. on Monday.
“As I speak, our world is on fire, again. These historic weather events are no longer historic,” the Duke of Sussex said.
“More and more, they are a part of our daily lives, and this crisis will only grow worse… unless our leaders lead,” he added. “Unless the countries represented by the seats in this hallowed hall make the decisions—the daring, transformative decisions—our world needs to save humanity.”
