For years now, it’s felt like Prince William is pretty bored of Earthshot, his “signature” philanthropic event. Of course, it never felt like William was all that engaged with it in the first place, possibly because it was something created and organized by his staff so that he could have a Big, Important Thing, just like Brother! The first few years of Earthshot, William basically only attended the awards ceremony to hang out with the celebrities who had flown in (on Earthshot’s dime). Those were the years where William didn’t even invite the actual Earthshot Prize nominees to the awards ceremony. Good times. Well, this year’s Earthshot event is in Mumbai, India. Earthshot finally announced the date of the prize ceremony and a list of some of the celebrities scheduled to attend. Hope they remember to invite the nominees!
Prince William has put together a star-studded lineup for the 2026 Earthshot Prize.
The Prince of Wales’ annual awards ceremony, which recognizes global leaders in environmental activism and technology, will be held in Mumbai, India, on Nov. 27. William, 44, will be joined by Earthshot Ambassadors Robert Irwin and Nomzamo Mbatha, along with 5,000 distinguished guests at the event, celebrating “scientists, entrepreneurs, community changemakers, indigenous leaders and young innovators addressing the most urgent challenges facing our planet.”
Bridgerton star Simone Ashley, who performed songs from her debut EP at Windsor Castle in June to celebrate Earthshot’s fifth anniversary, will reunite with Prince William in Mumbai to celebrate bringing the environmental award to India.
“It is a privilege to be part of The Earthshot Prize in Mumbai, to recognize the extraordinary people repairing our planet,” Ashley said in a press release. “Bringing this global community together in India proves that real change happens when we unite with ambition, creativity and optimism. I’m thrilled to perform at this special celebration.”
Actors Rami Malek and Alia Bhatt will also be on hand for the Mumbai event.
Malek, who previously attended the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in 2022 when it was held in Boston, said, “We need stories of hope, people who show us that change is possible. The Earthshot Prize Finalists embody this spirit, meeting the urgency of this moment with action. It’s an honor to be in Mumbai to celebrate their outstanding achievements.”
“The Earthshot Prize is really about hope… but hope that comes with ideas, action and people who are finding new ways forward,” Bhatt added in her statement. “That’s what makes it so inspiring to be a part of. There are people across the world doing incredible work to protect and repair our planet, often in ways we may never have imagined. And to have Mumbai bring all these people together feels very special. I’m proud that India gets to be part of this moment, and I’m really looking forward to celebrating the people behind these solutions and the work they’re doing for all of us.”
Other celebrity attendees at the event, which is sponsored by the Serum Institute of India, will include Sachin Tendulkar, Shreya Ghoshal and Sonam Kapoor. The 2026 Earthshot Prize Awards night will also be livestreamed for the first time, reaching more than 240 countries and territories in 40+ languages, exclusively on Prime Video.
It’s also rumored that Kate Middleton may join her husband for the Mumbai trip, marking her return to the Earthshot Prize ceremony for the first time since 2022.
I’ll say one nice thing: it’s nice that Earthshot is, at the very least, inviting Indians to an Earthshot ceremony in India. The bar is in hell, granted, but hey – it would have been typical of William to invite a bunch of Anglo celebrities for an Indian event. It’s also funny that Simone Ashley was confirmed before William’s wife!! LMAO. He really just uses Earthshot to hang out with models and actresses. I’d love to know how much Earthshot pays these people, all to stroke William’s bald-demon ego. All that being said, the vibe is that Princess Kate will show up to this one. It would be big news if she skipped yet again.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
-
- The Earthshot Prize Awards at Green Point Shared Fields in Cape Town, on day three of the Prince of Wales’ visit to South Africa for the fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards Featuring: the Prince of Wales Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 06 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Prince of Wales and Robert Irwin during a visit to Signal Hill near Cape Town, to discuss the importance of biodiversity. Signal Hill is part of the wider Table Mountain National Park. Prince William is on day two of his visit to South Africa, ahead of the fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony on November 6. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Robert Irwin Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 05 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Prince of Wales attends Earthshot+, at Portside Tower in Cape Town, a day of impactful conversations with world-leading experts aimed at multiplying the impact of The Earthshot Prize, on day two of his visit to South Africa for the fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony on November 6 Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 05 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Earthshot Prize Awards at Green Point Shared Fields in Cape Town, on day three of the Prince of Wales’ visit to South Africa for the fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards Featuring: The Prince of Wales, with (left to right) Bonang Matheba, Host of the Awards, Billy Porter, Robert Irwin and Nomzamo Mbatha, Earthshot Prize Ambassador and Host of Earthshot Week Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 06 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Prince of Wales during a visit to meet with volunteers of the National Seas Rescue Institute (NSRI) at Simon’s Town Harbour, Cape Town, to hear about their lifesaving work, on the last day of his visit to South Africa. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 07 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Prince of Wales with Heidi Klum, during his visit to meet local fishermen in Kalk Bay Harbour, Cape Town, to highlight the contributions of 2023 Earthshot Finalist Abalobi, on the last day of his visit to South Africa. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales with Heidi Klum Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 07 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Prince of Wales (centre) takes part in a traditional fish brai lunch with (left to right) Tobe Nwigwe, Heidi Klum, Winnie Harlow, during a visit to Kalk Bay Harbour, Cape Town, on the last day of his visit to South Africa. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales with (left to right) Tobe Nwigwe, Heidi Klum, Winnie Harlow Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 07 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Prince of Wales during his visit to the Seaweed Innovator Showcase at Portside Tower, Cape Town, to meet seaweed businesses from the region to celebrate local innovation, learn about the diverse applications of seaweed in Africa and the potential for it to repair and regenerate the planet, on the last day of his visit to South Africa Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 07 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Prince of Wales during his visit to the Seaweed Innovator Showcase at Portside Tower, Cape Town, to meet seaweed businesses from the region to celebrate local innovation, learn about the diverse applications of seaweed in Africa and the potential for it to repair and regenerate the planet, on the last day of his visit to South Africa Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 07 Nov 2024 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Prince of Wales takes part in a game of volleyball with players from thee Levante Institute, a local beach volleyball school, at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, on day one of his visit to Brazil for the annual Earthshot Prize Awards Featuring: Prince William Where: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil When: 03 Nov 2025 Credit: Aaron Chown/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- Prince William, Prince of Wales on a boat during a tour of the Guapimirim mangrove area in Guanabara Bay, which is managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), to learn about the restoration work taking place there, on day two of his visit to Brazil for the annual Earthshot Prize Award Featuring: Prince William, Prince of Wales Where: Guanabara Bay, Brazil When: 04 Nov 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
-
- The Prince of Wales arrives for the Earthshot Prize Summit in Pier Maua, on day three of his visit to Brazil. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil When: 05 Nov 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The fact that he invites celebrities at all tells you how deeply unserious he is.
Ditto the fact that he claims to be an environmentalist, while jet setting all over the planet to hand out awards no nominee is ever in the room to receive.
This is what bothers me the most about this! Flying a bunch celebrities (many in private jets) around the world to bring attention to climate change while the actual winners of the Earthshit Prize and their initiatives are rarely mentioned or monitored. But Willnot gets to play at being an “environmentalist” while his private jet is being refuelled to take him to his 15th vacation destination of the year! SMH! Make it make sense please.
So the celebrities are more important than the winners. That tracks. William is so into the glamor and centering himself in his quasi-royal work that you hardly know what the hell he’s promoting. And it’s himself– he’s really promoting himself. Whatever half-assed initiative his staff has thought up definitely takes second, third and fourth seats to his glorious self. So Trumpian.
You know what is really sad? I don’t know any of the nominees by name, not a single breathtaking concept to repair our earth, but I know who attended the big gala. Once or even twice. This shouldn’t be about Heidi Klum and likes, this should be about clever engineering and revolutionary ideas. It isn’t. It’s about him and his sparkly folks. Sad.
Exactly.
Sometimes the KP social media will highlight one of the nominees (or repost what the Earthshot Prize’s social media has posted)….but its so flat and uninteresting in how it is presented. Like here has to be a way to bring more focus to the nominees rather than acting like the nominees are just a byproduct of William’s desire to “look important.”
The older he gets the more gormless he looks.
Willy has landed some major Indian celebs for this. I’m not sure their star power will be all that impressive to those outside of the Indian diaspora or to those not of Indian descent, but Alia Bhatt and Sonam Kapoor are Bollywood actresses and Shreya Ghoshal is one of the best singers of our time. If he’s wanting this to make international headlines though, he’s going to have to do better than Robert Irwin (again) and Rami Malek.
Can we also talk about how Simone Ashley starred in Bridgeton which showed us a beautiful alternate world where colonialism and racism wasn’t present and in real life she is doing what so many Indians do…pander to the oppressor of their ancestors. Disappointing but not surprising?
I think Kate is definitely going to India this year because Harry and Meghan are back in the UK.
I think she is going too, but I find it VERY interesting that her attendance has not been confirmed yet.
Just imagine what the Carbon Foot-Prince could have achieved by putting together an impressive line-up consisting of e.g. renowned climate and environmental scientists who know their way around science communication.
Instead we’re getting another star-studded version of Scooter Bulliam’s Flying Circus with celebs who mostly have no idea what they talking about.
Will we ever get true numbers of viewers though instead of yet another announcement filled with too much hot air?
Never mind the celebrities – why are there 5,000 “distinguished guests” invited to this event? Has this been true at the other ES events and I just never paid attention? Is it an error, and they really mean 500?
All the money that comes to this charity goes out for the celebs them flying in, the hotel rooms, a big paycheck for showing up, and to the workers who put together the whole shitshow, not the winners. Let’s not forget who supports this so called charity, many of them where close friends to Epstein and William still accepcts money from them
Anotherlily, I love the word gormless. I’ve heard it before, but just looked it up. Yes, that’s William alright.
William is not taken seriously and this prize is not taken seriously. Why on earth does this man travel across the globe for this nonsense? This Should remain in the UK.
Agree! Couldn’t this be done virtually in this day and age?
He is doing this as a PR stunt he thinks this shit show would be better than Invictus wich would never happen lets face it. It is a vanity project to him to outshine his brother
William can surround himself with an entire galaxy of celebrities and he will always be eclipsed by Harry.
There’s not even a mention of the types of projects that are scheduled to win the prize this year. Why are there 5000 invited guests! Are they going to honour current climate leaders? Are they flying in all the guests?
I’m loving that none of the celebrities mentioned here gave William any credit, they only spoke about what a great thing EarthShot is, not anything about William, that’s got to chap his hide.
Not exactly these stars what they’re getting into. Heidi Klum cheerfully admitted that she had never heard of Earthshot and had no idea what it was, but when they called with the offer, she thought, “Why not? I’ll go.”
I assume she’s not the only one.
We all know Prince Willy just shows up and does nothing else but whoever is in charge of organizing Earthshot (notably the guest list) did a good PR job even if they don’t realize it.
Simone Ashley is a ‘western’ celebrity but of Indian heritage and she is a dark skinned celebrity. How many Indian celebrities (from India) have Ashley’s skin color or features? None. Just look at Bollywood and the top films/TV content made in India. The fact she is one of the top celebs going to this royal event in India is notable.
It was a great move for Earthshot I will give them that.
The picture. @kaiser, you are hilarious.
I mean, WTF is Earthshot about? All we hear about is Prince William inviting loads of actresses to a party somewhere, and Kate getting to travel in style and wear lots of gowns and jewels.
Is it Mumbai Fashion Week? The Mumbai Film Festival? It sure sounds like it.
What a joke!