As part of a jam-packed schedule of events on the second day of their royal tour in Massachusetts, the Prince and Princess of Wales met Boston residents on Thursday. The entire day had been cold, and at their event in the afternoon, Prince William made the joke that he was “better in cold weather.”
Piers Park was visited by William and Kate, who also learned about the past of the region now at risk from sea level rise. William put his hands in his pockets despite the freezing weather, laughing that “when I can feel them again they come back out.”
He continued, “We’re better in cold weather than hot weather, so it’s okay.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex released the official teaser for their upcoming Netflix docuseries to start the day. But for the royal couple, it was business as usual because Greentown Labs was their first stop.
Before meeting with those who had received assistance from Roca, a non-profit organization supporting underprivileged young people, in the neighboring city of Chelsea, they visited Greentown Labs in the nearby town of Somerville. They also went on their first city walkabout in public, where they were greeted by a woman who broke down in tears.
For the outing, Prince William went with his fashionable wife. He matched Kate’s berry-toned style perfectly by donning a smart navy jacket over a cozy maroon knit sweater.
Here, Prince William and Princess Kate discovered everything there is to know about the tech hub that has fostered climate pioneers for more than ten years.
They received information about the creation of cutting-edge green technologies.
Since its founding in 2011, Greentown is thought to be the largest climate technology start-up incubator in North America, having aided more than 500 businesses that have generated more than 9,000 jobs and more than $4 billion (£3.3 billion) in funding.
William and Kate met with Greentown Labs’ CEO and the president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council to discuss the company’s history and how it is participating in international efforts to address the climate crisis.
A young boy who had come dressed as a guard from Buckingham Palace, complete with a bearskin hat, greeted the royal couple as they left.
The two were in a happy mood as Kate knelt down to talk to eight-year-old Henry more and he handed her a bouquet of flowers.
In 2022, Henry traveled to London with his two mothers and saw the Changing of the Guards, where he fell in love with the uniforms.
The royal couple next went to the headquarters of Roca, a non-profit organization that aids underprivileged youth, in the neighboring city of Chelsea, where they learned about the problems faced by people between the ages of 16 and 24.
In addition to improving parenting, Roca seeks to lower rates of trauma, violence, and incarceration.
In order to develop policies and practices that improve outcomes for young people, who are the primary victims or perpetrators of violence, they also collaborate closely with important public systems like police officers, judges, corrections officers, and child protection services.
The couple continued their conversation about the work the organization does while sitting down with a group that included two counselors and two young people who have benefited from Roca.
Jonathan Williams, 22, a candidate for the Young Men’s program, revealed to the two that he is now training to become an insurance broker and is concentrating on improving his self-image and helping others after experiencing an “awakening” while serving time for an attempted robbery.
The genuineness of the people here, he said, “makes it easier for you to engage.”
“At Roca, they have my back and are constantly keeping an eye on me. I now focus on setting goals for the kind of man I want to become in the future rather than worrying about the things I can’t do.”
Following their first walkabout in the city, the couple encountered adoring onlookers, one of whom started crying when she saw Kate.
Many kids who had waited outside in the chilly weather to see the Princess and Prince also gave them flowers.
The Prince and Princess visited East Boston to observe how Boston’s shoreline is changing after spending time in the morning learning about how Boston has successfully driven climate innovation.
The two met important leaders from organizations like Boston Harbor Now, Stone Living Lab, the Trustees of Reservations, and The Harborkeepers at Piers Park as they explored Boston’s waterfront in light of the city’s struggle with rising sea levels.
Kate swapped out her stunning purple suit for a cozier ensemble that included an eye-catching orange knit dress by Gabriella Hearst and a chocolate-colored McQueen coat.
Their Royal Highnesses heard about creative approaches to enhancing community resilience to climate change and spoke with locals who shared their personal perspectives on how transformative projects along the shoreline can best reduce the risks of climate change while fostering equity among the diverse residents of East Boston.
Ms Elizabeth Solomon, an elder from the Massachusett tribe, later told press that she had raised with William the issue of re-establishing the relationship between the Crown, British Government and her Massachusett tribe as a way of fostering closer ties.
