After two days of crisscrossing Greater Boston for a series of appearances, the Prince and Princess of Wales will wrap up their time in the Bay State Friday by announcing the winners of the Earthshot Awards during a glitzy ceremony at the MGM Music Hall.
William and Kate arrived in Boston Wednesday, and ever since, have kept a jam-packed schedule that has taken them to TD Garden for a Celtics game, innovative organizations in Chelsea and Somerville and East Boston to see the work a prior Earthshot Prize winner will be doing.
The Prince and Princess have been met with crowds of onlookers during their stops in and around the city, as people reveled at the presence of British royalty in their backyard.
Photos: Here's Who Walked ‘Green Carpet' at Prince William's Earthshot Prize Ceremony in Boston
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Their first trip to the United States in eight years will come to a head on Friday, as they give out the Earthshot Prize Awards, but they also had other appearances scheduled throughout the day. On top of it all, President Joe Biden was in town and met with Prince William.
Here's what was on the royal agenda for Friday:
Appearances at Harvard and the JFK Library
As the Prince and Princess woke up for a second time in Boston, they headed in different directions Friday, before wrapping up their trip together at the award ceremony.
Princess Kate visited the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University Friday morning to speak with researchers about the work they are doing.
The Center on the Developing Child looks at developing strategies that can be implemented in order to improve life outcomes for children who face adversity.
The Princess met with the center as part of her work highlighting the significance of early years, and their relationship to lifelong outcome.
Prince William, on the other hand, is in Dorchester Friday, where he is paying a visit to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. The Prince met with Ambassador Caroline Kennedy and got a tour of the museum. William's Earthshot Prize was inspired by JFK's Moonshot, which challenged America to get a man in the moon in the 1960s.
Prince William met with President Biden at the library as well.
They greeted each other with a handshake and spoke privately for about 30 minutes, discussing the Earthshot Prize and shared memories of the late Queen Elizabeth. It was a "warm meeting by all accounts," a British government official told NBC News.
The Earthshot Prize Awards
The royal couple's trip will culminate Friday evening at the new MGM Music Hall for the Earthshot Prize Awards, the whole reason behind their trip to Boston. They were greeted by cheering crowds when they arrived Friday evening. Kate wowed in a green Solace London gown from rental site HURR, completing the look with an emerald choker belonging to Princess Diana, according to a Kensington Palace spokesperson, E! Online reported. William was by her side in a classic black tux for the ceremony.
The Earthshot is the global challenge founded in 2020 by Prince William and the Royal Foundation in an effort to reward those working to repair the planet.
The Prince and Princess of Wales will finally be announcing the newest winners of the Earthshot Prize Awards during Friday's ceremony.
There are 15 finalists set to be honored, with five winners to be announced – all during a celebrity-packed celebration of the planet and conservation, complete with a green carpet.
One winner will be selected from each of these five categories: protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste-free world, and fix our climate. Each winner will receive more than a million dollars for their cause.
People who are planning on being in the Fenway area, should be aware there will be several detours and no parking near the event. Boston Police said the best bet is to walk, bike, or use public transportation.
Earthshot CEO Hannah Jones said whether you’re lucky enough to be there in person, or watching it live as it’s aired on television around the globe – they hope to inspire the world with urgent optimism.
“Although it may sometimes seem seemingly impossible to actually get to a place where we repair the planet, we believe all of us that it is possible with human ingenuity, grit, determination and collaboration. And that’s the message we want to bring to Boston and to the world.”
The crowd waiting outside the Four Seasons hotel was hoping for one last sighting of the royal couple before the royal visit came to an end.
“So I’ve kind of been following them around since they arrived and hunting them down a little bit,” said Jamaica Plain resident Kelli Crisan. “I just got glimpses.”
It was one more chance to see the future king and queen of England.
“It’s been thrilling,” said Back Bay resident Laura Ogonowski. “Knowing they’re a couple blocks from my house is really exciting.”
And as the Prince and Princess of Wales headed to the Earthshot Prize ceremony before heading back to London, the prince rolled down his window and waved to the eager crowd.
“On my video you can hear me say “Hi William” and he waves at me,” said Heidi Bryant. “He was waving at all of us but I’ll take it as a personal wave to me.”
PHOTOS: William, Kate Make a Royal Visit to Boston
When Bryant heard the Prince and Princess of Wales were heading to Boston, she booked a trip from Alaska just to be a part of the royal excitement.
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” said Bryant.
It’s been a historic few days in the city.
Under blustery Boston temperatures, their majesties made several appearances this week including meeting with groups in Somerville and Chelsea. They were courtside at a Celtics game and visited East Boston to take a look at Boston Harbor to understand the complex climate issues facing the city. Friday, the princess was at Harvard while the prince met with President Joe Biden and Caroline Kennedy.
It all culminated with the glitz and glamour of the Earthshot ceremony Friday night.
The royal tour left a mark on Boston and it's something many will never forget.
“Exhilarating,” said Crisan. “I just feel we’re almost royals because we have royalty here.”
Earthshot Prize Award Winners
For the second time ever, and the first time in the U.S., the Earthshot Prize announced five $1 million prize winners Friday night following a "rigorous selection process" that focused on identifying the most inspirational, impactful, and inclusive solutions.
The five 2022 winners are:
Clean our Air: Mukuru Clean Stoves, Kenya – A start-up providing cleaner-burning stoves to women in Kenya to reduce unhealthy indoor pollution and provide a safer way to cook.
Protect and Restore Nature: Kheyti, India – A pioneering solution for local smallholder farmers to reduce costs, increase yields, and protect livelihoods in a country on the frontlines of climate change.
Revive our Oceans: Indigenous Women of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia – An inspiring women-led program that combines 60,000 years of indigenous knowledge with digital technologies to protect land and sea.
Build a Waste-free World: Notpla, United Kingdom – A circular solution creating an alternative to plastic packaging from seaweed.
Fix our Climate: 44.01, Oman – Created by childhood friends who have developed an innovative technique to turn CO2 into rock, and permanently store it underground.
