The Prince of Wales visited the Oval cricket ground today as he continues to fulfill commitments while his wife Kate recovers from abdominal surgery at home.
Prince William was at the south London stadium to celebrate an Earthshot Prize winner’s new contract to supply sustainable packaging for use in sports venues.
With the king stepping back from public duties while receiving treatment for cancer, the heir to the throne has taken on a greater burden of royal duties in recent weeks.
He has been combining this with supporting Kate, who is not expected to return until after Easter, and helping to look after their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
Queen Camilla has led the royals at other events amid a sudden shortage of frontline family members, with Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie also helping out.
Previously, Edward and Sophie were pictured carrying out their own royal duties as they met up with the Leeds Rhinos women’s rugby league team at Headingley Stadium.
Today, William, who founded the Earthshot environmental award to recognize and scale projects to repair the planet, joined Pierre Paslier, co-founder and co-CEO of Notpla, to learn about his company’s multi-million-dollar deal.
Prince William arrives at The Oval cricket ground today ahead of his engagement to Earthshot
Notpla’s algae-based products will be supplied to Levy, a leading provider of sports and entertainment catering services, for use at more than 50 venues, from The Oval to the All England Lawn Tennis Club at Wimbledon and the O2 at London.
The boxes will also be used at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, as well as Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and London’s Twickenham Stadium.
William has been instrumental in helping to support the relationship between Levy and Notpla, which in 2022 won the Earthshot category to build a world without waste.
Last autumn, Paslier spoke about the help they had received from William in networking in the industry after he helped them get trials of their products at Premier League football clubs.
In the new contract, Levy will use some 75 million items of Notpla’s algae-based food packaging materials over the next three years, helping them meet their ambitious climate goals.
Singapore hosted the most recent Earthshot awards ceremony last November, after awards events were held in Boston in 2022 and London’s Alexandra Palace in 2021, with Cape Town named this year’s host city.
As Duke of Cornwall, William could be seen as the owner of the Oval, as the sports venue is part of the Duchy of Cornwall, a portfolio of land, properties and investments that provide income to the Prince of Wales.
You will tour the cricket ground, meet the Surrey cricketers, train before the start of the season and the ground staff who have created a special tent that replicates the conditions of a summer’s day for practice sessions.
Then, on Monday next week, William will be attending an event at immersive art venue Frameless in the Marble Arch area of London’s West End, to celebrate the Earthshot Prize’s ‘Launchpad’ project.
This is a new online matchmaking platform for Earthshot projects that can be accessed by investors and philanthropists looking to co-invest and collaborate on environmental ideas.
Kensington Palace said that since 2021, the Earthshot Prize has awarded £15 million in prizes and the network has helped unlock £50 million of support across its network, for the 45 winners and finalists.
Also on Monday, Camilla and William will attend the annual Commonwealth Day service, along with the remaining members of the reduced monarchy.
With the King and Kate away from their public duties, the rest of the royals working in the institution will gather in force at Westminster Abbey.
Camilla and William will be accompanied by Edward, Sophie and Anne along with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.
A pre-recorded video message from Commonwealth chief Charles, who is receiving cancer treatment, will be played during this year’s service, Buckingham Palace said.
The annual celebration will address the theme of resilience, at a time when the royal family has faced an onslaught of health problems.
But the service will focus on stories of environmental resilience and marine sustainability, through performances representing the five regions of the Commonwealth.
Elsewhere today, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh visited Headingley Stadium in Leeds.
Sophie and Edward meet members of the Leeds Rhinos Women’s Rugby League team today
William’s appearance at the televised event – a key part of the royal calendar – alongside Camilla comes after he pulled out last week from attending the funeral of his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, at the last minute due to a undisclosed personal matter.
Camilla will carry out a second engagement later when she attends the annual Commonwealth Day reception at Marlborough House in London, where she will meet Foreign Ministers, UK MPs and High Commissioners.
Some 2,000 guests will head to London Abbey to honor the Commonwealth network of 56 countries.
The congregation will include Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, the President of Malta, Foreign Ministers, High Commissioners, senior politicians and dignitaries from across the Commonwealth, religious and school leaders and young people from across the UK.
Notpla will give reflections and writer Sir Ben Okri will read a poem commissioned especially for the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth.
Camilla will be welcomed by the Dean of Westminster, with an all-female group of Indian Dhol drummers, Eternal Taal, performing at the Great West Door.
Musical performances will include singer Calum Scott and dance group The Ghetto Kids.
At the end, members of the Royal Family will meet those involved in the service, including Commonwealth flag bearers. The service will be broadcast live on BBC One.
William receives flowers for Kate from pupils at All Saints Primary School in Wrexham last Friday.
Kate was last seen at a royal event on Christmas Day 2023 with her family at Sandringham.
Last week, the Prince of Wales was asked: ‘William, how is Catherine?’ during his visit to Wrexham AFC’s Racecourse Ground to mark St David’s Day, but he did not answer the question.
William later thanked a group of schoolchildren for giving Kate a bouquet of flowers while visiting a school.
They gave him toys with Welsh dragons for his three children and then flowers for Kate. The Prince told them: ‘I will pass them on to Catherine too, thank you very much.’
Also last week it emerged that Buckingham Palace had considered plans for Camilla and Kate to share honors in a bid to spread the burden of royal duties in a reduced monarchy.
Meanwhile, Kate’s “black sheep” uncle Gary Goldsmith, Carole’s brother, praised her as “perfect” when she entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Monday.