If you’re a fan of the United Kingdom’s Royal family and are in Boston this week, there’s a chance you could see the Prince and Princess of Wales up close and in-person.
Prince William and Princess Catherine are making a trip to Boston for the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony on Dec. 2.
The royal trip is their first visit to the United States since 2014 and their first international trip since taking on their new roles as Prince and Princess of Wales in September.
The two founded the environmental prize in 2020, which “aims to spotlight, support and scale groundbreaking solutions to our world’s most pressing environmental challenges,” according to PBS.
“Our planet is in danger, and we must protect it for future generations,” William said in a PBS promotional video for the award show.
The Earthshot Prize draws inspiration from President John F. Kennedy’s moonshot challenge in the 1960s by taking the same sense of urgency and applying it to creating solutions to reverse environmental damage over the next decade.
Five prizes will be awarded for several categories: protecting and restoring nature, cleaning the air, reviving the oceans, building a waste-free world, and fixing the climate, according to the foundation. The five winners will each receive 1 million pounds.
The ceremony, which will stream on PBS on Monday, Dec. 5, at 2 p.m., features a long lineup of celebrities and guest musicians, and Princess Catherine herself will be one of its presenters. Prince William is to deliver remarks.
Additionally, honorees and attendees will take in several performances, with music from singer-songwriter and activist Annie Lennox; singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and her creative partner and brother FINNEAS; R&B duo Chloe x Halle; and artist and activist Ellie Goulding.
Last year’s Earthshot Prize Award Ceremony was held in London.
Through Their Highnesses have a tight schedule for their American sojourn, there’s a chance you could see and hear the Prince and Princess of Wales speak in person — or you could catch a passing glimpse of the royals if you’re nearby any of the places they’re planning to visit.
In a press release from Boston’s Mayor Michelle Wu, it was stated that Prince William and Princess Catherine are meeting privately with Wu on Wednesday, November 30, before a public welcome event at the City Hall Plaza for the royals to kick off the Earthshot Awards. The leaders will privately discuss Boston’s work to combat climate change, especially concerning its coastal proximity.
Prince William and Princess Kate will then speak publicly at 4:45 p.m. on Wednesday at the welcome event in the Speaker’s Corner of City Hall Plaza. Mayor Wu, along with U.S. Ambassador to Australia Caroline Kennedy, and Mariama White-Hammond, Boston’s chief of environment, energy, and open space, is also expected to give speeches.
The seven-acre City Hall Plaza was recently renovated to become more accessible to the public, and the Speaker’s Corner received a new platform in front of City Hall to “provide the ideal platform for mayoral addresses, flag-raisings, and other important civic events at the front door of City Hall,” according to sasaki.com.
If you can’t make it to the actual city of Boston on Wednesday evening, there are a few other places Prince William and Princess Kate will be heading to across the Boston area throughout their stay.
Though the palace has not released the actual dates or times the royals will be physically at these locations, nor are they considered to be public events or appearances, you might see the Prince and Princess walking into a building if you’re passing through the area.
See below for more about the Prince and Princess’ itinerary.
Somerville — Learning about Greentown Labs
The royals will be heading to Greentown Labs in Somerville during their time in the city, a press release from Buckingham Palace stated. Greentown Labs is a climate technology startup incubator, and the two will learn more about the organization’s innovations.
Boston — Visiting the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
The palace said that the Prince and Princess also plan to go to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, along with other community-based visits like a local non-profit organization and a Harvard research center.
Chelsea — Meeting with people behind Roca, a non-profit organization
The non-profit organization is called Roca. The palace’s release stated it has been “working for nearly 35 years to bring public systems together in a cohesive approach to save and change the trajectory of the lives of high-risk young people.” The palace added that Prince William and Princess Kate wish to meet the individuals who are working to support the vulnerable members of the local community.
Cambridge — Stopping by a Harvard Research Center
At Harvard, the Center on the Developing Child is one of the world’s leading researchers on “the lifelong impact of experiences in early childhood,” the palace stated, and Princess Kate will visit the research center while in the city.
if you do happen to meet Prince William or Princess Kate, the palace does say greeting them with a curtsy or bow along with a “Your Royal Highness” would be traditionally appropriate.
