It has been eight years since Prince William and Princess Kate stepped onto American shores.
The last time they were in the United States, during a visit to NYC in December 2014, Prince William was not a full-time working royal.
His brother, Prince Harry, is still single and his bride-to-be Meghan Markle is just an actress in “Suits”.
But as William and Kate – the new Prince and Princess of Wales since the death of Queen Elizabeth on September 8 and Prince Charles as king – arrived in Boston on Wednesday to present the Earthshot Prize, it was with a clear mission to show how much things have changed. And to claim the crown of our royal family No.
Although royal sources are keen to emphasize that Wales’ visit to the US is not an official tour, there is a lot riding on the three-day trip – notably Harry and Meghan will be heading to NYC on December 6, just four days after Kate and William. leaving the United States, to take the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope award.
A well-placed royal insider told Page Six that the sisters’ opposite mission underscored a big point: “It’s not bad to get an award, but it shows the fundamental difference between [William and Kate] – who has a constitutional role, who works on behalf of others – against being a celebrity.
“They’ve always been famous, but now they’ve reached a different stage in their public life – they’re a different kind of figure.”
Harry and Meghan received the Kennedy tribute for what Kerry Kennedy, RFK’s daughter, said was an example of “moral courage” against injustice.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 devastated the royal family as the couple painted a bleak picture of their time behind palace walls, even going so far as to accuse the royal family of racism.
“We are very much not a racist family,” William blasted in reply.
The visit to Boston was a photo opportunity for Kate, 40, to connect herself publicly with the last Princess of Wales: her late mother-in-law, Diana, who made a huge impression on the United States with her humanitarian visit.
It’s a “real opportunity for a great moment,” said Bethan Holt, the Telegraph’s Fashion Director and author of several books on royal fashion.
“If anyone can get together to talk about something serious and deliver a big boost of glamor and royalty, it’s William and Kate,” Holt told Page Six. “This is a huge opportunity for the British part of the royal family to make a big splash and remind everyone why they love each other and rebuild that relationship.”
For South Africa’s state party at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, Kate wore the Lover’s Knot tiara – a diamond-and-pearl number said to be Diana’s favourite. The late princess was photographed there several times.
Kate, and William, 40, will also follow in their mother’s footsteps by reaching out to underrepresented communities, as Diana did on a trip to NYC in 1989 when she visited young AIDS patients in Harlem.
“The Prince and Princess don’t want to come for an awards show and then leave, they want to spend time getting to know the community in Boston,” said a source close to the couple.
There’s also an interesting sibling tie-in with the Royals East Coast visit. When Harry received an award from a foundation linked to RFK, the prince’s younger brother had chosen to align himself with his brother the slain politician.
William was inspired to choose Boston for the star-studded award ceremony Friday by John F. Kennedy and his ambitious 1962 “Moon Shot” speech.
“I am very excited to celebrate these fifteen finalists and to see the five winners of the Earthshot Prize announced in Boston – the hometown of President John F. Kennedy, who shares the belief of the Earthshot Prize that seemingly impossible goals can be achieved if we only harness the power of innovation. the infinite, human ingenuity, and optimism that matter,” William said.
“The Earthshot prize was the Prince of Wales’ Super Bowl moment – and he wanted to use the platform in a positive and optimistic way to highlight climate change and the environment,” said a source close to Wales.
The award, which will honor five visionaries with $1.2 million in prizes for creative solutions to global environmental problems, is William’s brainchild.
“This all starts for Prince William in 2018 to make a bigger impact on climate change and wider issues including nature and air quality,” a palace source told Page Six.
“People accept the science as bleak… [but] There is great work around the world from people who need to make solutions and we want to demand companies and their governments to join these innovators.
Four days after the Welshman left the United States, Harry and Meghan will receive an award at the Ripple of Hope gala, in Manhattan, for speaking out against the royal family. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also received the award.
Kerry Kennedy told the Spanish online news site El Confidencial of the Sussexes: “They went to the oldest institution in British history and said what they did wrong, that they could not have structural racism in the institution; that they could not maintain misunderstandings about mental health,” he said, referring to Oprah Winfrey’s interview with the British monarchy.
“They know that if they do this there will be consequences, that they will be ostracized, they will lose their families, their position in this structure, and people will blame them. They have done so because they believe that they cannot live alone if they do not question this authority. I think they have been heroic in taking this step.
But Kennedy’s words were denied by Piers Morgan, who said on “Fox and Friends”: “I think it’s really disgusting and shameful for Kerry Kennedy, frankly, to tell his father’s name and memory in this way.” Kerry’s brother Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he was “confused” and “bewildered” by Sussex’s selection for the award.
The Earthshot awards ceremony will be broadcast on PBS on December 5. Days later, the Sussexes’ Netflix docu-series is set to launch, quickly followed by Harry’s memoir, “Spare”, which promises “unflinching honesty” at the time. published on January 10.
Meanwhile, a source close to Wales said: “The Prince and Princess of Wales will be focused on the work at hand. They will not be distracted.”
Added a well-placed royal source: “Look, everyone wants Harry and Meghan to be happy and focus on the future – you have a great family, it’s time to move on.
“For the Prince and Princess of Wales, their belief is ‘Life is too short and there’s too much to do’. You get on with your life and work without worrying about games from anyone.
