The Prince of Wales travelled by a special electric bus before giving a keynote address focused on the growing impact of his Earthshot Prize.
William, 44, was accompanied by conservationist Robert Irwin and two young climate advocates aboard the specially branded “2030” double-decker. The vehicle, the 3,000th electric bus to join Transport for London’s fleet, carried them on a short trip to the historic Guildhall in London, the venue for the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly.
Launched in 2020, the awards were created to spotlight and expand some of the most inventive responses to climate change and the wider environmental crisis. Running over a decade, the initiative awards £5 million in prize funding each year, alongside mentoring and practical support for its winners.
The event gathered Earthshot finalists and winners with influential figures from business and philanthropy, both to showcase environmental solutions and to unveil a number of new initiatives.
In his remarks, William said his ambition for the Earthshot Prize had always been to demonstrate tangible progress toward climate and nature targets that once appeared overwhelming.
He told the audience that the initiative now had “more than belief,” pointing to evidence that solutions are delivering results, investment is flowing, policies are evolving and new partnerships are taking shape.
The prince said Earthshot finalists were helping generate momentum, with early progress beginning to reinforce further action — a development he said left him feeling more hopeful than ever.
That optimism, he added, was not because the scale of the challenge had diminished or because the scientific warnings had become less urgent, but because the evidence of progress was now stronger than ever.
The Prince of Wales arrived on a special electric bus to deliver a keynote speech highlighting the success of his Earthshot Prize
William, 44, was joined by environmentalist Robert Irwin and two young campaigners on the specially-branded route ‘2030’ double decker – the 3,000th to enter the Transport for London fleet – on the short journey to London’s historic Guildhall, where his Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly in London was being held
Today’s event brought together finalists and winners, as well as global leaders from business and philanthropy, to celebrate solutions and announce a series of exciting new initiatives
In his speech William said he had always hoped his Earthshot Prize would ‘show the world evidence of progress’
He said that since the start of the awards they have supported 75 Finalists and awarded £25 million in prize funds as well as helping to avoid or capture 18 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, protecting and restoring 1.4 million square kilometres of land, ocean and coastline, saving 21 million tonnes of water and removing, upcycling or avoiding almost half a million tonnes of waste.
‘Those numbers matter. They mean individual lives and entire systems are changing as our Finalists achieve big things,’ he said.
Highlighting the fact that the awards are now more than halfway through their decade of change, with India the next venue later this year, he said: ‘One day people will look back at this decade and ask: when the evidence was clear, what did we do with it?
‘When we saw forests being restored, did we help restoration spread? When we saw clean air policies working, did we help other cities follow? When we saw the energy systems transform, did we fully commit? When we saw communities on the front-line becoming leaders in resilience, did we stand beside them?
‘That is the responsibility of this moment.
‘And it is this story that matters, not just the problems we face, but the collective response to tackle them.
‘The challenge can still feel immense but the proof is now in front of us. And history will ask what we did with it.’
Highlighting the fact that the awards are now more than halfway through their decade of change, with India the next venue later this year, he said: ‘One day people will look back at this decade and ask: when the evidence was clear, what did we do with it?’
William was in good spirits as he attended the assembly this afternoon
Other VIPs at the event included the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan
Young campaigner Pranav Sharma, 19, said they discussed a huge range of issues with the future king on their 20 minute bus journey to the awards, saying he was impressed by his ‘determination for optimism in a time where everyone has so much to deal with’.
Clover Hogan, 27, added: ‘It was amazing. I mean, it was very down to earth conversation. I think we all come from really different backgrounds and life experiences, yet we’re united by the shared love, nature, the planet, and people, and so it was just really fun conversation.
‘One of the things that we touched on is how overwhelming climate change can feel as an issue.
‘I watched documentaries when I was 11. In many ways, they depicted the worst aspects of humanity. I remember….feeling, frankly, terrified about the state of the world and where we were headed.
‘And yet they also shone a spotlight on these incredible groups of people who were doing everything in their power and overcoming incredible adversity to solve these issues. And so for me, that is really a testament to the power of storytelling as well.
‘We’re up against a lot of issues. And yet there are countless people throughout the world who are already leading the way.
‘I think Earthshot is an incredible platform for a number of those solutions. Something that a lot of people don’t know is that we already have all the solutions we need to not just slow emissions, but actively reverse them, bring back nature, and build up communities.
‘[Prince William’s] role is so important. He can access audiences that many of us within the climate movement potentially can’t. And I think it signals something very important in terms of the royals caring about climate, sustainability, caring about people and the direction that we want this country to go in. And that was something that we spoke about really frankly, you know, the fact that we need political support, right?
‘We need a public mandate and we need those we elect into power to actually get behind this and not just make into your false parameters, but to actually do what they say they want to do.’
Robert Irwin also praised Prince William’s ‘authentic passion’.
The Dancing with the Stars winner and conservationist said: ‘It’s always wonderful catching up with Prince William. The last time I saw him, he Facetimed me during Dancing with the Stars, to wish me well on that. I got to represent conservation to a stage I never thought I would be doing. So it was great.
‘I’m always reminded of his leadership and his authentic passion. The Earthshot Prize would not be the success that it is without someone at the helm who really cares, and that is him. He cares very, very deeply, and you know someone with his platform that is just mobilised, creating as much change as possible, is fantastic.’
Robert, who joined the future King for the 2024 awards ceremony in Cape Town and attended last year’s Impact Assembly in London, added: ‘He’s been doing this for a very long time, and I really think that he’s seen firsthand what it is that the world needs, and I think it’s just fantastic that he uses his platform to unite people. I think that is very, very important. And you can’t fake passion, when you see it, it’s undeniable. That’s every interaction I have with him.’
Robert confirmed he will be in Mumbai later this year for the sixth annual Earthshot Prize ceremony, and is still hoping it might head to Australia before it concludes in 2030.
‘I would love Australia. I hope so. I have all of my fingers crossed. Yeah, I think it would be fantastic, but for now, yeah, the sights are set on Mumbai. But Australia would welcome Prince William with open arms at any point.’
Commenting on London’s blistering heatwave, he said: ‘I mean, it’s a reminder of what we’re here for, isn’t it?’
He said of today’s event, which saw inspiring updates from many former Earthshot Prize winners and finalists, ‘It’s very reassuring, the world is moving in the right direction, and you know, we have to take the wins, we really do.
‘When you’re working with the Earthshop Prize, something that is literally centered around solutions, instead of focusing on everything going wrong, let’s reward those that are making it right, that are really working hard to make a difference, and that is so crucial, because for too long environmentalism, I think, has felt like this big mountain that we just can’t approach.
‘But the Earthshot Prize shows us that if we work together, it’s not just possible, but it’s necessary.’
