The Earthshot Awards will be presented on Friday at Boston’s MGM Music Hall at Fenway by Prince William and Catherine. They arrived in the city this afternoon to begin their first international trip as the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The mayor of Boston, Michelle Wu, and the governor-elect, Maura Healey, welcomed the royal couple to City Hall. Aides say they do not view the trip as a royal tour, but rather as a trip focused on the Earthshot Prize, and they will spend three days in Boston. Although it was planned before Queen Elizabeth passed away and they assumed their new roles, the fact that it is now their first overseas trip since William became the first in line to the throne may add to the significance of the occasion.
The couple will participate in many events that are centered on Earthshot and the climate change work being done in Boston. However, they will also travel to other places to meet people and advance their work there. In line with her interest in the early years, Catherine will learn about the work being done by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University. And they’ll both travel to the Chelsea area to visit the nonprofit organization Roca Inc., which aids vulnerable young people between the ages of 16 and 24. They will interact with the young mothers program’s participants there.
he last time the couple visited the country was in December 2014 while Catherine was expecting Princess Charlotte. They stayed in New York for three days. There was a lot of anticipation when they arrived at City Hall today because large crowds had gathered outside the iconic structure in the rain to see them. The event, which started the Earthshot celebrations by turning the city’s landmarks green, featured speeches from Prince William, Mayor Wu, and Governor-Elect Healey. William thanked the “hearty Bostonians” who braved the rain before starting his speech.
CHRIS JACKSON//GETTY IMAGES
William said in a statement earlier today, “Catherine and I are delighted to be back in the United States and are extremely grateful to Governor Baker and The First Lady of Massachusetts for their warm welcome into Boston. “I would like to thank the people of Massachusetts, and in particular the people of Boston, for their many tributes paid to the late Queen on this, our first overseas visit since the death of my grandmother. She cherished the memories of her bicentennial trip in 1976.
“My grandmother was one of life’s optimists. And so am I.” – he continued.
“That is why, in an effort to inspire hope and urgent optimism as we work to save the future of our planet, we established the Earthshot Prize last year.”
President Biden will probably greet the couple during their stay because he will be in Boston on Friday for a fundraiser. Biden will “greet” the royal family on Friday, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who was quickly followed by Kensington Palace in confirming the news.
Prince William went to Washington, D.C., during their 2014 visit to New York to meet President Obama in the Oval Office. The Bidens were last seen by the royal family at Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September. On the opening day of the COP26 climate conference, President Biden was captured on camera placing his hand on Prince William’s shoulder during a reception. The Bidens also paid a visit to the UK in June 2021 during the G7 Summit, when they were welcomed at Windsor Castle by Queen Elizabeth and the First Lady joined Catherine to visit a school in Cornwall.
