The Prince of Wales has told an audience to “be bold, be brave, and be creative”, at an event for the Earthshot Prize.
The Stories Of Impact event, held at the Sky Garden in central London, celebrated success stories involving Earthshot Prize finalists and their partners.
As part of the event, Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham moderated a “fireside chat” with William, Earthshot Prize chief executive Hannah Jones, and one of the prize’s trustees, Tokunboh Ishmael.
Ms Waddingham asked the prince for his message to the Earthshot Prize finalists, as well as environmental investors and philanthropists.
“Be bold, be brave, be creative,” he said.
“There’s so much creativity out there.
“I think the Earthshot Prize is a large dating service.
“We put brilliant people, and innovators, alongside people who can move things.”
He said the Earthshot Prize is “the glue in the middle” between “those who can do things” and “those who can provide an enormous resource and a great potential”.
William was introduced by billionaire Michael Bloomberg.
Mr Bloomberg is an adviser to the Earthshot Prize winners, and his charity, Bloomberg Philanthropies, is a global alliance founding partner of the prize.
He thanked the prince for creating the Earthshot Prize.
“I want to give a great big thank you to the person responsible for bringing us all together and just doing so much to support all of the inspiring and important work that you hear about,” he said.
“The creator of the Earthshot Prize, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales.”
Attendees at the event, held in the garden on the 35th floor of the building in Fenchurch Street – known as the Walkie-Talkie due to its shape – were served Champagne and non-alcoholic cucumber mojitos.
Ahead of the chat, William met fashion designer Stella McCartney, a supporter of the Earthshot Prize.
Ms McCartney laughed with the prince as she told him his tie was “fantastic”.
William also met Nemonte Nenquimo, an indigenous activist from the Amazonian region of Ecuador, and member of the Earthshot Prize Council.
Speaking through an interpreter, she told the PA news agency it was “exciting” to meet him.
“It was exciting for me to meet the prince because he said that he had read about me and learned about our people’s fight to protect the Amazon,” she said.
“And he said that together, joining forces between indigenous peoples and people around the world, we can work together to protect the forest and to protect our climate.”