Prince William met the finalists of his Earthshot Prize for the first time and congratulated them on their achivements.
The Prince of Wales joined the 2022 finalists at Cumberland Lodge in the grounds of Windsor Great Park on Thursday.
He met each finalist in turn, asking them what he could do to help them.
Prince William spoke to Min Wang, whose company, Desert Agricultural Transformation, turns desert sand into agricultural land.
She invited him to visit one of her project’s sites in China.
“If I am passing by I will be visiting all of your projects. I have made a note to my team," he said.
“So by year 10 I will still be visiting Earthshot projects."
He also spoke to Kaushik Kappagantulu, whose company Kheyti’s mission is to increase climate resilience for smallholding farmers in India.
2022 Earthshot awards ceremony - in pictures
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Prince William and wife Kate attend the second annual Earthshot Prize awards at MGM Music Hall at Fenway, in Boston, Massachusetts. Reuters -
Oscar-winning Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek stops on the green carpet for photographers. Getty Images / AFP -
Onlookers try to catch a glimpse of Prince William and Kate as they make their way into the MGM Music Hall. AP -
Prince William waves to the throngs of American fans in Boston. AP -
Onlookers arrive for the 2022 Earthshot Prize ceremony. AFP -
Kate makes 'going green' look effortless. Reuters -
The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for the ceremony. AP -
The Prince and Princess of Wales on the green carpet. Getty Images / AFP -
The Boston visit was the couple's first to the US since 2014. Reuters -
The royal couple greets US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry. Reuters -
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and his wife Lauren make their way into the ceremony. Reuters -
The Prince and Princess of Wales stand with Hannah Jones, chief executive of the Earthshot Prize. AP -
The couple make their way into MGM Music Hall for the awards ceremony. Reuters -
Actress Shailene Woodley is a presenter at the awards ceremony. Reuters -
Prince William shows a bit of affection for wife Kate. Reuters -
Retired footballer David Beckham arrives at the second annual Earthshot Prize awards. Reuters -
Singer Ellie Goulding attends the second annual Earthshot Prize awards. Reuters -
Woodley arrives for the awards ceremony. Getty Images / AFP -
Mitt Romney, a US senator from Utah, and wife Ann attend the second annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony. EPA -
R&B duo Chloe and Halle Bailey attend the second annual Earthshot Prize awards. Reuters -
Malek at the ceremony. EPA -
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and husband Conor Pewarski arrive for the ceremony. Reuters -
Actor Daniel Dae Kim and wife Mia pose for photos. Reuters -
Presenter and broadcaster Clara Amfo strikes a pose on the green carpet. Reuters -
Prince William and Kate's visit to the US concludes after the ceremony. AFP -
Beckham speaks to Ms Jones. AP -
Chloe and Halle Bailey are from Mableton, Georgia. PA
Prince William praised the initiative.
“Kenya and India are two countries that are really stepping up to the mark," he said.
He then met Charlot Magayi, whose company Mukuru makes clean and reliable cooking stoves for low-income households in western Kenya.
Ms Magayi grew up in Mukuru, the third largest slum in Kenya. Her business focuses on providing families with clean stoves that are less likely to expose them to harmful air pollution in their homes.
Prince William gave her a particularly warm greeting.
“Congratulations,” he said. “The last time I saw you you were surrounded by children. Your story is unbelievable.”
Ms Magayi later told PA: “I started my business in 2017 because my daughter got burned by a traditional stove.
“I grew up in a slum in Kenya, and that is the reason why my business is called Mukuru.
“So I wanted to create a stove for my community, and then we did, and it just [rapidly grew].”
Earthshot awards 2021 - in pictures
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Prince William and his wife, Kate, Princess of Wales, attend the first Earthshot Prize awards ceremony at Alexandra Palace in London. AP -
London mayor Sadiq Khan and his wife, Saadiya, attend the awards last year. AFP -
British politician William Hague and his wife, Ffion, arrive on the green carpet at Alexandra Palace. EPA -
Philip Reeker, charge d’affaires of the US mission to the UK. EPA -
Actress Emma Thompson arrives at the Earthshot awards ceremony in London. Reuters -
Actor David Oyelowo and his wife, Jessica, were among the guests. Reuters -
Presenters Dermot O’Leary and Clara Amfo arrive at the Earthshot awards ceremony. Reuters -
Football player Dani Alves and his wife, Joana Sanz, step on to the green carpet. Reuters -
Liverpool FC player Mohamed Salah arrives. Reuters -
Prince William and Kate speak to guests. AP
Prince William went into private group sessions with the finalists, where they spoke to him about their hopes and ambitions for the year ahead.
The finalists are on the second-last day of a week-long retreat at the lodge, where they have met, learnt from and collaborated with each other.
They have heard from leaders and thinkers who have advised them on how to increase the scale of the projects they are working on.
Prince William is the founder and president of the prize, which honours environmental pioneers.
The finalists attended talks by Christiana Figueres, former UN climate chief and Earthshot Prize board chairwoman, and Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, environmental activist, geographer and Earthshot Prize council member.
They also attended a forum hosted by Deloitte in London, where they were connected with advisers, market access partners and potential funders.
