The people’s prince! William opens up about ‘staying focused’ on the causes he cares about in rare Instagram Q&A with the public – and his aspirations for the Earthshot Prize to eliminate ‘climate anxiety’

Prince William has spoken in a rare Instagram Q&A today about staying focused, his favourite animal, the best food he tried in Singapore and his love for Aston Villa FC.

The Prince of Wales answered eight questions on the ‘princeandprincessofwales’ account for its 15million followers during his trip to Singapore for the Earthshot Prize.

William was also asked about what makes him feel optimistic, his favourite part of last night’s awards show, why he started the prize and where it will be held next year.

The Q&A on the couple’s Instagram Stories will likely be viewed as an attempt to help the monarchy reconnect with younger people as it battles to gain their support.

And it comes as William told the Earthshot+ event today that he hopes the prize will lead to the next generation not having to deal with ‘climate anxiety’ by 2030.

Speaking in the Instagram Q&A, William began by answering a question about ‘what was the best bit of last night’s show’ followed the star-studded awards ceremony.

He said: ‘I think hearing the stories and seeing the winners do their acceptance speech was very moving.

‘Really pleased that they were as excited as they were because it means we’re doing a good job and it means that the Earthshot Prize is profiling and spotlighting their work in a bigger, better way than they could have done before.

‘I was really pleased with the reaction and I think the crowd watching really enjoyed hearing the stories and being a part of the Earthshot Prize.

He was also then asked why he started Earthshot.

William said: ‘I saw so many amazing people and incredible solutions around the world being put together but it was very patchy and not co-ordinated and not brought together collectively.

‘And I felt they could do more together on a bigger platform, and if we could elevate them on a stage and give them a profile and make them a household name then they could have more impact.

‘I also felt that the narrative around the climate at the time was very negative, defeatism and didn’t inspire any hope of prospect or change. And so the Earthshot Prize was born to counter that and to provide us all with motivation, optimism and hope that things can get better.’

The next question saw William asked ‘what makes you feel optimistic’.

And he said: ‘Well, the Earthshot Prize makes me feel optimistic. From last night, hearing the stories, seeing the finalists, seeing the winners, it gives me huge motivation and huge optimism that things can change and that we don’t need to be all doom and gloom around the environment.

‘There are people out there doing fantastic work and if we can just support them, get behind them, give them the scale, the finances, the resources to do their job, their impact can be much, much bigger.’

The next question was rather lighter and saw him asked about what he had eaten in Singapore.

William said: ‘I’ve had a lot of amazing food while I’ve been in Singapore, but I think the Singapore chicken rice is probably my favourite.’

Asked next where he would go for Earthshot next year, he would not be drawn – but confirmed the location was known.

William said: ‘I think that’s a trade secret, I’m not sure I’m allowed to tell you where I’m going next year. But we already know. We actually know two years in advance where we’re going. But I’m not sure I’m allowed to reveal.’

The following question saw William asked about his favourite wild animal.

And he said: ‘That’s a tricky one because there are an awful lot that I love. But I think the first animal that I fell in love with that gave me real inspiration for nature will be the cheetah. I got to see cheetahs bombing around and chasing down kills in Africa.

‘And just the speed, the power, the raw animal nature really impressed me and I just thought an athlete like that in the animal kingdom was just an incredible machine and I was in awe of watching it.’

He was then asked how he decides what causes to support.

William replied: ‘That’s also a really tricky question because I’m passionate and care about a lot of causes. But it’s really important that you stay focused. Because if you don’t focus on things you can be drawn out over a wide area and you don’t really have any impact.

‘So I try and stay focused on the things I really care about but I think also it’s understanding and learning. A lot of my time has been spent learning with charities, learning with good people who know what they’re talking about and then from there you can then make an educated stance on where to go and what to do.

‘And I’m still refining that. I still want to support more things but there is only so much time in the year and there’s only so much resources and only so much ability to get round everything to make the difference that you really want to.’

Finally, he was asked whether he expected his beloved Aston Villa FC to ‘win a European cup this year’.

William said: ‘I would like to think they would. I think we’ve got a good chance in the Europa Conference League.

‘And actually we get back tomorrow and I’m rather looking forward to tuning into Villa’s game against Alkmaar which will be at Villa Park which I thought about going to. But with the jet lag I think I might actually fall asleep during the game. But I’ll be watching it from home, cheering on the Villains.’

The Q&A comes after William spoke at the first ever Earthshot+ event today, held the day after the third annual awards ceremony for his environmental prize, as he laid out his vision for it over the next seven years.

In a video, also posted on the couple’s Instagram account, he was asked: ‘Where are we in 2030?’

And William replied: ‘In 2030, bearing in mind it is only seven years away, time is of the essence. I think for Earthshot, it’s been round the globe, we’ve managed to hit all the places we want to go to. People know about Earthshot. 

‘On top of that, the impact from the finalists, the winners, we’ll have thousands and thousands of them by that point in the Earthshot family. 

‘Their impact, their companies, their solutions will be actually detailed and data-driven on the ground. We’ll be able to quantify and show and demonstrate the impact that they’ve had. 

‘We’ll be able to look the next generation in the eye in 2030 and say: ‘We’ve started to turn the dial’. Climate anxiety will no longer be something that the next generation fear.’

William made the comments about his mission for the prize’s impact during a conversation at the Park Royal Pickering hotel in Singapore.

During the 15-minute discussion, he continued laying out his hopes for the future, saying: ‘We’ll start to see visible improvement in our coastlines in our oceans. We’ll start to see transportation changing.

‘We’ll start to see policy shifts, we’ll start to see governments being incredibly engaged and a green sector starting to appear.’

William added: ‘I think also we’ll have many more champions and role models to follow and people who can lead us in this transition and it not be so daunting, time consuming or difficult. Everything will become easier. That’s my version of 2030 … that’s our mission.’

The Earthshot+ conference followed the awards ceremony, held yesterday evening, as a day of thought-provoking conversations aimed at multiplying the impact of the prize.

The event included sessions with some of the 2023 prize finalists, international leaders and experts in climate change and the business sector.

William joined the day-long event following a morning hike at the TreeTop Walk in the MacRitchie Reservoir Park, famous for its monkeys.

He was accompanied on the 40-minute jungle walk – in almost 30C heat with 80 per cent humidity – by the deputy prime minister and finance minister, Lawrence Wong, who is set to be the next prime minister of Singapore.

After sitting in on two Earthshot+ panels during Wednesday morning’s plenary session, the prince then took part in his own fireside conversation.

On stage, he was joined by Christiana Figueres, an internationally recognised global leader on climate change and former executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change whose tenure culminated in the historic Paris Agreement of 2015.

They were also in conversation with Brandon Ng, the co-founder and CEO of Ampd Energy, a 2022 Earthshot Prize finalist.

The trio discussed the importance of the Earthshot Decade, of which the prize is now a quarter of the way through.

William told the audience: ‘I’m really proud of where we are now after three years – to take a seed of an idea to being a global climate and environmental prize in three years is a big deal.

‘It hasn’t been easy and it’s ambitious and there’s a more daunting side that comes with it, but equally, we’re on a journey.

‘We have got this period of a decade of change in these next 10 years to really make an impact, make progress, and remind people what’s going on around them.’

He added that he sees himself as the ‘glue’ that brings people together to make the largest impact possible.

Pressed by Ms Figueres on what exact instructions for improvement he is referring to, William said: ‘I think over the next few years, we’re going to go from being a prize to becoming a platform … to becoming a movement.’

He said that this awards ceremony in Singapore, the third one for the Earthshot Prize, has showed him that the team ‘can start to look more ahead’.

‘Ultimately, we want to see better solutions, we want to see better impact, we want to see more of it and we want to see it faster,’ he added.

His comments came alongside the announcement of a new Earthshot Launchpad, its new pilot platform that will connect funders to current and former finalists and nominees and support their funding needs and growth journey.

When William founded the environmental award in 2020, he did so with the 10-year mission to find ways to protect and repair the environment with innovative solutions.

It awards five £1million prizes annually across the Earthshot themes of clean air, oceans, waste-reduction, climate change and restoring nature.

Over the last year, the Earthshot Prize cohort has benefited 1.5 million people globally, restored 2.1 million hectares of the ocean and sequestered 35,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

After announcing the new Launchpad innovation, Hannah Jones, chief executive of the prize, said: ‘The Launchpad is the next step in taking the momentum we’ve started here (in Singapore) and bringing it to life this year and beyond.’

Also today, William today delivered a pitch to be King as he insisted he wants to ‘go a step further’ than his family and bring real change to the causes he supports.

The Prince of Wales praised the work of other Royal Family members ‘spotlighting’ important causes, but insisted he wanted to do more than ‘just being’ a patron.

William’s remarks as his visit to Singapore comes to a close will likely raise eyebrows at Buckingham Palace as he continues to set out a vision for the monarchy’s future.

One cause he wants to focus on is homelessness, saying he wanted to help build homes and deliver mental health support, education and employment opportunities.

It comes as the Prince and his wife Kate Middleton continue to step up their public appearances and William sets out his agenda for what type of King he wants to be.

Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said the comments were ‘highly significant’, adding that ‘criticism aimed at the monarchy is to question what the royals actually achieve’.

Mr Fitzwilliams also claimed William’s language shows how he ‘regards it as essential that the monarchy reconnect with the young where its support is currently weak’.

He also pointed out that William has said the ‘challenge of abolishing homelessness will be his life’s work’ and his late mother Diana ‘would undoubtedly have approved’.

Mr Fitzwilliams also said his private views on Home Secretary Suella Braverman‘s description of the homeless in tents as a ‘lifestyle choice’ can ‘only be imagined’.

Fellow royal expert Phil Dampier also pointed out that the ‘days of the late Queen and Prince Philip having 1,500 patronages between them have clearly gone’.

And he raised fears that many charities and organisations could now lose their prized royal links given the so-called ‘slimmed-down monarchy’ which now also operates without former senior royals Prince Andrew, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Furthermore, Mr Dampier said it will be difficult ‘balancing act’ for William to be ‘careful not to stray into political issues’ during his campaigning, similar to his father. 

Other senior royals have also been very active in recent days – with King Charles III and Queen Camilla visiting Kenya last week before yesterday’s State Opening of Parliament; while Prince Harry did a stand-up comedy video for a charity event in New York on Monday after attending a Katy Perry gig in Las Vegas on Saturday.

William’s interview on the last day of his trip to Singapore came after he worked up a sweat in the jungle and heard how young people have been helping conservation.

The Prince, 41, was led around MacRitchie Nature Reserve by the country’s deputy prime minister Mr Wong. The pair discussed the environment and nature on show and spoke of Singapore’s vision to be a ‘City in Nature’, sources said. And the prince said he was looking forward to seeing Mr Wong when he next visits the UK.

Speaking to print media today, the Prince said: ‘So I think the thing that ties it all together for me is about social leadership.

‘That’s what I’m trying to find my way in, is I care about so many things, and previously the family have been very much spotlighting brilliantly and going round and highlighting lots – I want to go a step further – I want to actually bring change and I want to bring people to the table who can do the change if I can’t do it.

‘And so it’s all about progressing, helping and advancing particular social causes that need to be given more support.

‘I’ve been in the homelessness sector for a long time now, and so rather than just being patron I want to do more, I want to actually build the homes, I want to provide them with the mental support, all the employment and the education they might need.’

The prince added: ‘So it’s all these wraparound services, it’s kind of going deeper and longer, than it is the case of just having loads of causes that you sort of turn up and keep an eye on.

‘It’s more about: how do I show my intent more? How do we do more for you? And give you a better, better future.

‘But you have to remain focused, if you spread yourself too thin you just can’t manage it and you won’t deliver the impact or the change that you really want to happen.’

William was speaking after the third annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony was held yesterday evening, which recognises solutions to ‘repair’ the planet, and saw five winners handed £1million each to support efforts to scale their innovative climate and environmental solutions.

William said he was ‘still digesting’ after the ceremony and that Earthshot was ‘still on the go, doing loads of meetings’ and added that this year ‘feels bigger than last year, so we’re progressing and we’re building as we go’.

He added: ‘I think that’s the key aim is that every year we’ve got to get bigger and reach more people – the profile is massive so we need to make that bigger and better.

‘And this is the first time we’ve come into Asia, so it’s important the Asian market see us, know what the actual prize is. We’ve predominantly obviously done western with the UK and Boston.

‘So I think it’s all about working out: where do we go next? How do we join the dots?’

He added that the impact investment side is ‘really crucial’ because Earthshot is not ‘just an awards ceremony’.

William said: ‘People think this is philanthropy. They think it’s just a prize ceremony. It’s not, this is so much more.

‘It’s about, how much impact can we achieve by scaling and building up and spotlighting these incredible people with brilliant solutions?

‘We’ve just got to join some more dots between policy regulators, governments’ money, and then you blend it all together and then see the impact from that.’

Speaking about William’s comments, royal commentator Mr Fitzwilliams told MailOnline: ‘Prince William’s comments are highly significant. A criticism aimed at the monarchy is to question what the royals actually achieve.

‘In the past they have been attached to a great many patronages, Prince Philip at one time had over 800, the late Queen over 500 and King Charles when Prince of Wales over 400.

‘Prince William and Catherine are attached to some 50 and his thinking is clear. As he says, ‘if you spread yourself too thin’ you can’t really make much of a difference.’

Mr Fitzwilliams added that royal patronages ‘add a considerable cachet to a charity, giving them credibility and probity’, but he pointed out that with ‘only four working royals under 70 this will, however, undoubtedly mean fewer patronages’.

He continued: ‘William wants to actually build homes to help the homeless. With the Earthshot Prize he has garnered huge support for encouraging real solutions to the climate crisis. He wants to make a significant difference in the area of mental health.

‘He knows that there is no convenor like a member of the royal family with a high national and international profile to bring those who can facilitate change together.’

The expert cited ‘vastly successful royal charitable enterprises in the past’ such as the Prince’s Trust and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.

Mr Fitzwilliams added that William ‘will be very conscious that social leadership will often mean helping to tackle problems such as homelessness and mental health that the politicians have failed to solve’.

He also said: ‘He must, in espousing ‘social leadership’, obviously be above party politics in the way the Prince’s Trust is.

‘It is also clear from what he says and the language he uses, that he regards it as essential that the monarchy reconnect with the young where its support is currently weak.

‘His skills at diplomacy have been tested, his rating as the public figure most trusted in the United States is most impressive.

‘His charitable work, attempting to solve huge social problems by utilising his unique profile, is likely to bring enormous succour to those in need in the areas he wants to help.’

Continuing, Mr Fitzwilliams said: ‘William has said the challenge of abolishing homelessness will be his life’s work, just as Catherine’s legacy will be her work on early childhood. Diana would undoubtedly have approved.

‘He will scrupulously avoid entering the political arena, but his private views on the Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s choice of language, when she described the homeless living in tents as being a ‘lifestyle choice’, can only be imagined.

‘It hasn’t gone down well in the moderate wing of the Tory Party either.’

Royal expert Mr Dampier also spoke to MailOnline about the comments by William, saying that they ‘confirm what we have known for some time that he wants to concentrate on a few core issues and make a real difference’.

He added: ‘The days of the late Queen and Prince Philip having 1,500 patronages between them have clearly gone.

‘The Prince and Princess of Wales obviously believe they can make real change and have a greater impact if they don’t spread themselves too thinly.

‘The only problem is that with a slimmed down monarchy by default, with Prince Andrew an outcast, and Harry and Meghan in California, many charities and organisations are going to lose that royal link.

‘A lot of good work is done with royal visits giving a boost to small clubs and social events away from the spotlight.’

Mr Dampier pointed out that with the likes of the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra approaching retirement, there are only now four working royals under the age of 70.

And he said: ‘I can see both sides of the argument and I get what William wants to do, make a real change in areas he believes to be most important, like saving the planet.

‘But like his father the King he will have to be careful not to stray into political issues and that won’t always be an easy balancing act.

‘Only time will tell if this is the right approach but it’s clearly the direction he is going in.’

During the trip to the jungle today, William started off the Tree Top Walk taking in the views of the jungle from a 250 metre-long suspension bridge between two of the park’s highest points, Bukit Peirce and Bukit Kalang.

He carefully walked across the 25 metre-high bridge which gave a bird’s eye view of flora and fauna living in the forest.

The bridge also plays an important role in forest canopy research, providing access to an area that many researchers were not previously able to reach.

His first stop on the trek was to meet four university students who take part in the Youth Stewards for Nature programme.

William told them: ‘Sorry I took a while, been chatting and sweating, and doing a lot of walking.’

The four students explained their conservation work via a slideshow on an iPad.

The prince asked if young people living in Singapore are interested in protecting the environment.

Anusha Shivram, 25, graduate of University of Oxford, MSc Biodiversity, said: ‘Many people from the general public are actively involved.’

She also explained that the team of youth stewards has grown from five to 16.

The stewards, aged between 18 and 25 years old, can take part in a six-month conservation programme, carrying out up to eight hours a week in the park.

Ms Shivram said afterwards: ‘It is great he is looking at projects we have done in Singapore as it is a strong community and great to see he is visiting.’

At Macaranga Hut, a station for park rangers, he met last year’s Earthshot finalist Dr Isabelle Lackman, co-founder and director of Hutan.

William told the deputy prime minister that Hutan, based in Borneo, Malaysia, was ‘doing fantastic work with orangutans’.

It comes after the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in Singapore last night, at which William told American pop stars OneRepublic that Prince Louis is a fan after they performed at the event.

The prince met the band backstage after last night’s show at the 1,500-capacity Theatre at Mediacorp and congratulated them on their performance, which opened proceedings.

‘I can’t thank you enough,’ he said. ‘You were amazing. What a way to start the show. That was incredible.’

He told them: ‘Louis, my youngest, loves your songs’ but said Prince George, 10, is still into veteran Australian rockers AC/DC.

On a night when the main topic was the need to take urgent action to combat climate change and other environmental threats to the world, William, 41, told British indie band Bastille their performance of Pompeii – about the disaster that befell the Roman city when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79AD – to close the show profoundly affected those around him in the audience.

He said the song, performed by the band with the Voices of Singapore choir and singer Freya Ridings, was the perfect way to end proceedings.

‘You guys blew it away. Honestly, it was incredibly moving, it was very powerful and I didn’t want it to stop. And everyone in front of me was crying. 

‘I mean I didn’t see behind me but there were tears everywhere. It was so powerful and a great way to finish the show. So thank you so much.’

South African actress Nomzano Mbatha, who presented one of the awards, told William she was in tears at the end. ‘It was incredible,’ she said.

The prince thanked co-hosts, actors Hannah Waddingham and Sterling K Brown. ‘You were brilliant. The chemistry was oozing,’ he said.

Brown said: ‘We had a good time. There were a couple of snafus but we made it through.’ 

William enthused about the Earthshot finalists, saying they were the real heroes of the evening and he hopes scaling up their businesses will help solve some of the world’s environmental problems.

‘I think we raised the bar this year. Best one yet,’ he told the performers.

Earlier, William congratulated the winners, who stood waiting for him, clutching their awards, which are made from recycled materials, including brass sourced from water pipe fittings, household waste and minute metal elements filtered from wastewater sludge.

The prince, who met the finalists earlier in the day before the results were announced, strolled in, clapping his hands and smiling broadly, and said: ‘Hey, well done. I’m so pleased for you. I tried to keep a straight face seeing you all today. I tried to give nothing away. I hope none of you read me.’

He told them: ‘I’m so proud of all of you. Really well done.’

William, who congratulated them on their speeches, added: ‘I hope you feel the love and support out there because that is what is there. It’s for all the hard work you’ve done.

‘And many of you have been doing this for a long, long time and have never truly been acknowledged for all the hard work you’ve put in. So take this moment to really take it in. Everyone is grateful and supports all the hard work you’ve done.’

He told them: ‘The Earthshot Prize is nothing without you guys.’

William promised to visit all of the winners, who come from across the globe. ‘I will do. The great thing is I’ve now got loads of opportunities to go and visit all of you. As each year goes on, I’ve now got plenty of friends all around the world to go and visit.’

He added: ‘Bravo, guys. Sorry we didn’t give you your awards on the stage. Everyone was worried you might drop them. They’re safely in your hands now, that’s what counts.’

He asked to have a group photograph taken with the winners.