Prince William's Passion Project for the Environment Just Made a Major Move
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Prince William at the Earthshot Prize ceremony
Prince William's Earthshot Prize is now an independent charity.
After two years as part of Prince William and Kate Middleton's Royal Foundation, the Earthshot Prize officially become an independent charity on Friday. Prince William will take on the role of president.
Four new trustees — CEO of Conservation International M. Sanjayan, former CEO of The Royal Foundation Jason Knauf, former assistant private secretary to Prince William Zoe Ware and former private secretary to Prince William Jean Christophe Gray — were all appointed to the Board. They join Chair Christiana Figueres, Vice-Chair David Fein, and Founding Trustee 'Tokunboh Ishmael.
Figueres said: "This is an enormously exciting step for The Earthshot Prize and we're thrilled to welcome the new Trustees to our board. This year will see the Prize deliver its most important work to date as we continue to speed and scale the ground breaking work of our 2021 Finalists, whilst searching for this year's Winners. We are deeply grateful for the years of thought leadership, bold creativity and ambitious design of the team at The Royal Foundation as they created The Earthshot Prize, and look forward to the coming years of continued partnership."
Joe Maher/Getty Prince William and Kate Middleton
Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's famed 10-year goal of landing on the moon (known as Moonshot), the Earthshot Prize aims to promote impactful approaches to the world's most pressing environmental challenges.
"The urgency of the situation can't be overstated," William told PEOPLE exclusively following the inaugural Earthshot Prize ceremony in October. "But through the Earthshot Prize, I want to show people across the world why there is reason to be hopeful."
"Seeing the incredible solutions that have been developed by the first winners of the Prize — and all of our finalists — shows us that the answers are out there," said the Duke of Cambridge, 40. "By recognizing these efforts and supporting and scaling them to be the best they can be, we can inspire the confidence that a healthier, more sustainable future is within our grasp."
Since he first conceived of the Earthshot Prize, William has always had children Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4, in mind.
According to Knauf, "The challenge the Duke set himself was, 'What is the maximum positive personal contribution I can make in the next 10 years in the fight against climate change? What am I going to do in the next decade that means I can look my children in the eye and say that I did my bit?' Every aspect of the Prize bears the stamp of his contribution."
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Prince William announced that the 2022 Earthshot Prize awards will take place in the United States.
