The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Kew Gardens this week, to take part in a Generation Earthshot event with The Heathland School.
The brainstorming educational activity was inspired by Prince William’s environmental ‘Earthshot Prize’, which was launched to give recognition to those working to solve some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.
The couple were joined by London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, TV presenter, Steve Backshall, and double Olympic rowing champion, Helen Glover, as they took part in activities alongside the school children.
Prince William heard from schoolchildren about the ideas that they would implement to combat climate change. (@KensingtonRoyal/Twitter)
The school children presented their ideas they came up with, alongside the famous faces. (@KensingtonRoyal/Twitter)
The royal couple and their guests sat at a table with a group of children and were encouraged to use objects like drum sticks and an orange, a pile of cardboard, – and, of course, their brains, to come up with earth-saving solutions.
The tables were assigned and the groups were given an extra-hand in the form of a superhero toy: William was given Ant-Man whilst Catherine was given the Invisible Woman.
William said that his group ‘need Ant Man here to help us find some answers’, and Kate suggested ‘maybe she [Invisible Woman] could make an invisible bubble that no-one can see to protect the planet so no-one can cut down any trees?’
For the royal outing, Catherine chose an appropriate green ensemble, including an Erdem coat that was first seen during a tour of New Zealand back in 2014.
The Duchess of Cambridge took part in the Generation Earthshot activities with the schoolchildren.(@KensingtonRoyal/Twitter)
Speaking at the visit, Prince William said: “Education is such an important part of protecting our planet. We must inspire in the next generation the optimism, confidence and enthusiasm to chase those solutions and to continue building a more sustainable future.”
He continued: “We know that young children already identify the climate as one of their biggest worries, and Generation Earthshot aims to educate and encourage them that together we can find the answers. Children can be uniquely creative and I can’t wait to see some of the ideas that are shared with us.”
Speaking at the end of the visit Backshall spoke about the royal visit from the Cambridges and said: “They were fantastic. Encouraging the children to throw out every idea possible. It’s the kind of attitude our leaders need if we are to have any chance of making an impact on our climate’s problems.”
Today we were delighted to welcome the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to Kew Gardens to take part in a Generation Earthshot event with children from The Heathlands School, where they generated bold ideas to repair the planet ?@KensingtonRoyal @EarthshotPrize @TheWorldsLesson pic.twitter.com/U2afeJxkw2
— Kew Gardens (@kewgardens) October 13, 2021
The first Earthshot Prize Awards will be held on Sunday 17th October at Alexandra Palace in London. Both William and Catherine will be present for the ceremony, which will celebrate the 15 incredible finalists from around the world and award the first five winners of The Earthshot Prize.
The Duke of Cambridge has been committed to saving the plant by advocating to tackle climate change and following in his father’s footsteps. Whereas the Duchess has previously expressed to be a keen gardener and carries out many royal engagements to highlight the benefits of spending time outdoors.
