Prince William and Princess Kate have shone a spotlight on an Earthshot Prize finalist, sharing details of the organisation on Instagram as Prince Harry attended the WellChild Awards in London.
The Prince and Princess of Wales featured Ørsted, the Danish energy group that has undergone a dramatic transformation—from one of Europe’s heaviest coal users to the world’s leading offshore wind operator.
Ørsted is one of 15 finalists competing for the 2026 Earthshot Prize, an initiative founded by the future king to identify and back innovative answers to the planet’s most pressing environmental problems.
The company has been nominated in the Fix Our Climate category after reducing its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by more than 98 per cent and replacing coal, oil and gas with renewable energy.
A post from the official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales praised Ørsted’s progress and underlined its contribution to the worldwide move towards cleaner power.
According to the Earthshot Prize, Ørsted has evolved from one of Europe’s most coal-dependent energy companies into a major force in offshore wind.
The royal message was shared on the same evening that Prince Harry made a prominent appearance in the capital.
The Duke of Sussex attended the WellChild Awards at London’s Royal Lancaster Hotel, maintaining his close relationship with the children’s charity, which he has served as patron since 2007.
Prince William launched his annual Earthshot Prize on Friday, pictured speaking at the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly in London in June.
Ørsted is shortlisted in the Fix Our Climate category after cutting its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by more than 98 per cent and moving away from coal, oil and gas. Pictured: Ørsted CEO Rasmus Errboe.
Prince Harry meets Inspirational Child winner Margot Jones-Billington, aged four to six, at the 2026 WellChild Awards in London.
Harry attended the ceremony without his wife, Meghan Markle, who has not joined him at his latest public appearances since the family returned to Britain last month.
He was scheduled to present the Inspirational Child award for children aged four to six and address guests during the event, which recognises seriously ill children as well as the families and professionals who support them.
The WellChild Awards remain a longstanding part of Harry’s public calendar. Since becoming patron, the Duke has attended 15 ceremonies.
In a statement issued before the awards, Harry said: “It is always a privilege to be part of the WellChild Awards and to meet the extraordinary children, young people, families and professionals whose courage and determination inspire us all.”
He continued: “This year feels particularly special as we celebrate 20 years of the WellChild Nurse programme; two decades of supporting thousands of children and families and helping them to live more of their lives at home.”
When it was known as DONG Energy in 2006, the company ranked among Europe’s biggest consumers of coal.
Since that time, Ørsted has sold its oil and gas division, abandoned coal and developed more offshore wind farms than any other company worldwide, according to the Earthshot Prize.
Ørsted currently runs 12 offshore wind farms in Britain. The Earthshot Prize says they produce more than seven per cent of the country’s electricity—enough clean energy to power almost six million homes.
Prince William and Princess Kate have highlighted an Earthshot Prize finalist in a post shared on Instagram.
It has installed more than 10GW of offshore wind capacity worldwide, with a further 8.1GW under construction across Europe, the United States and Taiwan, according to the organisation.
Its UK projects include Hornsea 2, which was the world’s largest operational offshore wind farm when it was launched.
Hornsea 3, currently under construction, is expected to become the world’s largest offshore wind farm when completed in 2030.
The Earthshot Prize said Ørsted’s transformation was particularly significant because the company had changed the centre of its business rather than simply adding renewable energy to an existing fossil-fuel operation.
It said the company had continued to invest and generate revenue during the transition, while also working with governments, retraining workers and creating apprenticeships.
The 2026 finalists were announced on Friday, with Ørsted one of three finalists competing for the Fix Our Climate prize.
The other 2026 finalists include organisations working on conservation, waste, clean air and ocean protection, with five winners due to be announced at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Mumbai on November 17.
Each winner will receive £1million to help accelerate and scale their work.
The prize was launched by William in 2020 and is built around five environmental challenges: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate.
This year’s finalists were selected from nearly 7,000 nominations spanning 169 countries.
