We joke around sometimes about Kensington Palace reading this blog, but really, it feels like they do. Last December, we were one of the few outlets calling out Prince William for failing to invite the Earthshot finalists to Boston to appear in person. That man blew through millions of dollars to throw an “awards show” and hang out with celebrities, then failed to invite every single innovator and environmentalist he was supposedly platforming. In case you needed it underlined, Earthshot is The Peg Show and Peg doesn’t want to touch or speak to peasants. Well, it looks like my (??) criticism was heard by some KP lackey, because for this year’s Earthshot Awards, they’re actually inviting the finalists to show up in person, in Singapore. Kate still can’t come though, her wig is an environmental disaster and a fire hazard.

The crowds lining the green carpet at last year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony would have been forgiven for questioning the whereabouts of the real stars of the show – the environmental entrepreneurs each doing their bit to save the planet. However, in order to reduce carbon emissions, finalists were not invited to the star-studded event in Boston and appeared instead via video link from all corners of the world.

The decision raised eyebrows in some quarters, not least as celebrities such as singers Ellie Goulding and Annie Lennox were flown in to join the Prince and Princess of Wales for the awards. David Beckham, who had been working in Qatar as an ambassador for the country during the World Cup, was also there to present one of the five £1 million prizes.

‌This year, there has been a change in approach and all 15 finalists will fly to Singapore for the third annual ceremony on Nov 7. Organisers say the event will be “significantly bigger” than in previous years, with a whole “Earthshot Week” taking place around the award ceremony. ‌An Earthshot retreat, which brings all finalists together to collaborate, exchange ideas and team up with potential financial backers, will take place in the days leading up to the show. Several other events are due to be announced in the coming weeks.

The inaugural, week-long retreat for finalists took place in Windsor in January, meaning that although they had all missed the December ceremony, they still flew to London a few weeks later. ‌Sources admit that, as the event enters its third year, lessons have been learnt and organisers are being more ambitious as they try to create a bigger impact. While it seemed the “smart and sensible” option to have finalists appear via video link in Boston, given that they were due to meet the following month in the UK, the thinking has now shifted.

The issue of travel is a thorny one for Earthshot organisers, whose very raison d’etre is to promote the protection of the planet. However, those involved insist that lecturing people about their travel habits is not what the event is about.

“The Prince of Wales is never going to be the person who says ‘I think people should stop driving their cars or stop getting on aeroplanes’,” one source said. ‌“What we want to do is show that there are viable projects that are really going to change the future trajectory of the planet, so rather than looking back, looking forward. The momentum, both internally but also externally around Earthshot is huge and Earthshot Week will really be capitalising on that excitement to make sure that we can not only inspire folks that are in Singapore, but inspire people across Southeast Asia.”

With the first event having taken place in London, the second in Boston and the third in Asia, the smart money is on the fourth being held in Africa. At the Windsor retreat, the Prince revealed that he wanted to hold the ceremony on the continent, suggesting that is likely to happen in 2024.

‌It is hoped the Princess of Wales will return to the fold next year to support her husband after opting to stay at home this time around while Prince George, 10, sits school exams.

The firm focus for organisers is now on scaling up the projects of the 45 finalists that now form the “Earthshot family”. They admit it has already become “quite the juggernaut.”

[From The Telegraph]

Oh so now it’s the Earthshot “family” huh, and a week-long event? William really is the most jealous monster out there and he’s so blunderingly obvious – he must still be fuming over Harry’s easy charm during the Invictus Games, among the men and women of the Invictus family, a family of warriors and their loved ones, all supporting each other. William’s little fists of rage were pounding the desk as he ordered his staff to start calling it “the Earthshot family.” He ordered them all to figure out some way to stretch everything out over the course of a week. I mean, this was the unsolicited advice I gave Peg last year – if you’re going to do this stupid Earthshot thing, can you at least actually give a platform to these people and use the awards as a pathway for networking and fueling innovation. He’s taking my advice. Earthshot Week is gonna suck though and my guess is that William causes no fewer than three international incidents in Singapore.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.