LONDON (Reuters) – Prince William will travel to Singapore next month for the annual Earthshot Prize which awards 1 million pounds ($1.22 million) to five winners developing solutions to environmental problems, Kensington Palace said on Tuesday.
William, the eldest son of King Charles and the heir to the throne, will be joined by activists, policymakers and innovators at the award ceremony on Nov. 7 and is expected to attend a series of events with businesses and investors with the finalists and winners during a four-day trip.
The 15 finalists this year range from a scheme to plant, grow and digitally track trees in Liberia to proposals for a less carbon intensive method to treat industrial wastewater.
“His Royal Highness will spend time meeting Singaporeans and learn about how local organisations are working to protect and restore our planet – from tackling the illegal wildlife trade and protecting the rainforest to incubating and scaling cutting edge innovations,” Kensington Palace said.
William will also attend the United for Wildlife Global summit. William and the Royal Foundation launched United for Wildlife in 2014 to tackle the illegal wildlife trade.
Last month, William attended the U.N. General Assembly and met Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss “efforts required to accelerate the fight against climate change and protect the environment,” the United Nations said.
It will be Prince William’s first trip to Singapore in more than a decade.
($1 = 0.8214 pounds)
(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; Editing by Ros Russell)
