On Sunday, Prince William and Kate will join stars on the ‘green carpet’ at the first ever awards for William’s environmental prize Earthshot. And today they stepped out together to highlight an initiative linked to the prize which encourages children to think about ideas to repair the planet.

The royal couple are visiting Kew Gardens in west London to take part in a Generation Earthshot event with pupils from The Heathlands School, Hounslow. The educational initiative aims to encourage students to generate ideas to solve the world’s environmental challenges as well as fostering enthusiasm for the natural world. "It aims to unlock the potential of the next generation of inventors, innovators and leaders who will inherit our world and inspire in them the enthusiasm to develop new solutions and protect our planet," Kensington Palace said in a statement.

kate middleton
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For the event, Kate opted for a bright green coat and top, which she paired with wide-legged trousers; William chose a classic navy suit. The Cambridges are joined today by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, explorer, naturalist and presenter Steve Backshall MBE and Olympian Helen Glover. Ahead of the event, Kensington Palace highlighted researched which found that 39% of children in the U.K. identified the environment as one of their main worries about the future.

This Sunday, the Earthshot Prize Awards will name five winners, with each winning initiative receiving £1 million towards expanding their solution. The event will be broadcast live via the BBC and Discovery Plus and Kate will play a key role in announcing a winner. The five winners will be chosen from a list of 15 finalists from around the world.

The Earthshot Prize aims to find innovative and workable solutions across a decade to the world’s biggest environmental challenges. It was launched by Prince William who pledged to make the "maximum positive personal contribution" he could so he can "look my children in the eye and say that I did my bit." Taking inspiration from President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot, the Prince hopes to encourage optimism and action around repairing the planet. In a documentary series to accompany the Prize, William says, "Our planet is now in crisis. It’s delicately-balanced systems are becoming more and more unstable with every passing year. So for the sake of future generations, let’s act now."

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Victoria Murphy
Contributing Editor

Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures, released in 2021.