William and Catherine posed for photographers at the iconic landmark building, with Prince William dressed in a dark green velvet suit jacket and Kate in a long, light-coloured gown.
The awards were introduced by the prince and featured a speech by British broadcaster and environmentalist Sir David Attenborough on the importance of the new prize and the environmental challenges still facing our planet.
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The five winners include cutting-edge technologists, innovators, an entire country and a pioneering city – you can find out more about the winners here.
The winners were announced by a line-up of presenters including the Duchess of Cambridge, British actors Emma Thompson, Emma Watson and David Oyelowo, and Egyptian professional footballer Mo Salah.
The winning solutions each receive £1 million in funding to help support and scale the innovations.
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The Earthshot Prize will award five one million pound prizes each year for the next ten years under the categories of protecting and restoring nature, cleaner air, oceans, waste-reduction and climate change. After London, different cities around the world will host the ceremony for the rest of the 2020s.
Hosted by British television and radio presenters Dermot O’Leary and Clara Amfo, the event also included performances from global artists, including Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, KSI and Yemi Alade, and Shawn Mendes.
Coldplay’s live performance outside the venue used energy powered by 60 cyclists.
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The British royal family have for many years been vocal campaigners on a host of environmental issues, with William’s father Prince Charles speaking out for decades about the impact of climate change and the importance of conservation.
William met with Attenborough at Kensington Palace in September to discuss the 94-year-old naturalist’s new film on environmental issues, A Life on Our Planet.
The palace said the prize drew its inspiration from the concept of Moonshots, which it said since the 1969 moon landings was synonymous with ambitious and ground-breaking goals.
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On Friday (October 15), Queen Elizabeth said she was irritated by world leaders who talk about climate change but do nothing to address global warming, and added it was still unclear who would turn up at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.
The queen’s rare public foray into big power climate politics came as worries grew that Chinese President Xi Jinping, leader of the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitter, would not attend the Oct. 31-Nov. 12 summit.
The queen, who is due to attend the 26th United Nations climate change conference, COP26, in Glasgow, Scotland, was picked up by a microphone while visiting the Welsh assembly in Cardiff in a conversation with her son and daughter-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, and the presiding officer of the Welsh assembly, saying how “extraordinary” it was that it is still unclear which world leaders will be in attendance.
“We only know about people who are not coming… It’s really irritating when they talk, but they don’t do,” Elizabeth said.
She became the third member of the royal family to accuse world leaders of inaction this week, with both Charles and his son William saying COP needed to produce action, not words.
