Why Prince William and Bill Gates Are Teaming Up in London This Week

The Prince of Wales spoke at the Breakthrough Energy Summit to leaders in technology, policy, science, academia and business collaborating on climate solutions

On June 27, the Prince of Wales spoke at the Breakthrough Energy Summit, an event that brought together leaders in technology, policy, science, academia and business to collaborate on innovative climate solutions.

Prince William, 42, has highlighted environmental innovations through his Earthshot Prize. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot mission to land a man on the moon, the royal launched the Earthshot Prize in October 2020 to incentivize environmental change and help repair the planet over the next decade. Each year until 2030, winners across the five categories receive $1.2 million each to help scale their innovations, in addition to opportunities to network within the Earthshot community.

The heir to the British throne also met with former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates to tour the Innovation Showcase displaying some of the leading climate solutions in development around the world. Earthshot Prize finalist Circ, a U.S.-based company that’s created a groundbreaking solution to enable the recycling of polycotton fabrics, was part of the showcase.

Gates, 68, previously attended the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in September 2023 and also saw Prince William speak at the 2021 climate summit in Glasgow.

In a speech, William said, “Thank you to Bill Gates and Breakthrough Energy for bringing together this brilliant collection of investors, philanthropists, and environmental innovators and for inviting me to join you today. For me, a big part of this week is about celebration.”

He continued, “Celebrating the incredible minds that are working all around the world, night and day, on climate solutions; celebrating the individuals and organizations who are supporting them; and celebrating the progress we have already made.”

He also spoke of his hope that we are “taking the right steps to repair our planet.”

“Today we celebrate the innovators, entrepreneurs, and optimists, as well as the allies and investors providing the necessary support along their journey to scale. Together we will create a sustainable future for generations to come,” he concluded.