Kate Middleton stuns in pastel McQueen dress at Earthshot Prize

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Prince William warned that we live in ‘the most consequential time in human history’ as he channeled his inner 007 wearing a trendy velvet jacket joined by Kate Middleton on the green carpet for the first ever Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony.   

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, both 39, walked side by side as they headed into the ceremony at Alexandra Palace at the first ceremony of the most ambitious environmental prize in history. 

Ditching his usual black tuxedo for a trendy polo neck and green velvet jacket, William, who created the Earthshot Prize with the Royal Foundation, looked like the picture of 007 while Kate sported classic Hollywood glamour. 

No stars have flown to London and guests were asked by organisers to ‘consider the environment when choosing their outfit’. 

Following a performance by Coldplay and Korean boy band BTS, powered by 60 people pedalling bicycles, William gave a stark warning that ‘time is running out’ to tackle climate change, adding: ‘The actions we choose or choose not to take in the next 10 years will determine the fate of the planet for the next thousand.

‘The future is ours to determine, and if we set our minds to it, nothing is impossible.’

William closed the event by announcing that the following year’s Earthshot event would be held in the United States – where his brother Prince Harry lives with Meghan Markle. 

The first-ever five winners were revealed tonight at a glittering ceremony held in London. Each winner will receive £1million prize money and a global network of support to scale their cutting-edge environmental solutions to repair our planet.

The five winners, which span the globe from Costa Rica to India, include transformative technologists, innovators, an entire country, and a pioneering city and were chosen for their ground-breaking solutions to the greatest environmental challenges facing our planet.

The first award to be handed out went to Gator Halpern and Sam Teicher of Coral Vita – a project which grows coral on land to replenish life in dying ocean ecosystems. Its methods grow coral up to 50 times faster than typical methods and improves resilience to the impact of climate change. 

They beat competitors Pristine Seas and Living Sea Walls.

Actors Emma Thompson, Emma Watson and David Oyelowo are joining Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, in handing out the awards at Alexandra Palace in north London.  

Emma Watson presented the second award, which went to AEM Electrolyser, which turns renewable electricity into emission-free hydrogen gas. 

Vidyut Mohan of Takachar, which converts leftover crops in fuel, won the following prize. Takachar developed a cheap, small-scale, portable technology that attaches to tractors in remote farms, converting crop residues into bio-products like fuel and fertilizer.

Emma Thompson presented the fourth Earthshot award to the city of Milan, whose Food Waste Hubs aim to halve waste by 2030. Each hub recovers food, primarily from supermarkets and companies’ canteens, and gives it to NGOs who distribute it to citizens. 

And presenting the fifth and final award, The Duchess of Cambridge said: ‘Nature is vital to us all… But for too long we’ve neglected our wild spaces and now w’ere facing a number of tipping points. If we don’t act now we will permanently destabilise our planet and rob our children of the future they deserve.’ 

The award went to the Republic of Costa Rica, whose Ministry for Environment paid citizens to protect forests, plant trees, and restore ecosystems, leading to the country’s forests doubling in size.  

In a video message pre-recorded from the London Eye, Prince William said: ‘Today the warning sounds around the world are clear. We don’t need a Moonshot, we need Earthshots.

‘Each year for the next 10 years we will award five prizes, one for each Earthshot, to those who bring hope into our future.’

William said many of the answers to mitigate the challenges the earth faces are ‘out there’ but ‘we need everyone from all parts of society to raise their ambition and unite in repairing out planet.   

William’s Earthshot Prize takes its inspiration from the Apollo moon landings, nicknamed Moonshot, which helped advance mankind’s technological achievements.

It features five categories, or Earthshots – Protect and restore nature; Clean our air, Revive our oceans; Build a waste-free world; and Fix our climate – which organisers say, if achieved by 2030, would improve life for all. 

Speaking on her way into the event, Dame Emma criticised throwaway culture and said her parents would have been horrified by how society dumps its waste on the streets.

She said: ‘If we had shown my parents how people live (today) how they will wander down the streets and coffee cup, immediately throw it away, eat, throwaway, everything throwaway, they would’ve gone ‘what’s going on?’.’

Guests were asked to ‘consider the environment when choosing their outfit,’ so Watson arrived wearing a gown made of 10 dresses from the charity Oxfam. 

Watson arrived wearing a gown made of 10 dresses from the charity Oxfam. Kate wore an Alexander McQueen dress made for her in 2011, while her husband wore a dark green velvet blazer and a polo neck.

Kate, who often recycles her custom clothing, first sported the dress – estimated to be worth £4,290 – at a BAFTA ceremony in Los Angeles in 2011.

The pale lilac colourway and delicate pleating perfectly complemented Kate’s frame. Known for her effortless style and poised looks, the royal wore her hair in her signature bouncy blow-dry with a light curl while opting for a glamourous make-up look.

Her Royal Highness added a defined highlighter and bold red cheek, a decided change from her usual natural glow. 

Kate has a close afflation with Alexander McQueen having worn the British fashion house’s designs on notable occasions, most famously to her wedding in 2011. 

Making sure they kept up with the sustainability, William and Kate arrived in their new Audi car after installing electric charging points at Kensington Palace.

Meanwhile,  Emma Watson led the glamourous A-listers in a backless white tulle dress as she joined Liverpool player Mo Salah and Emma Thompson on the green carpet.

Emma, 31, was sure to turn heads in the white asymmetric number with frill detail. She kept her ‘bronde’ bob slicked back to the side and showed off a dangling gold earring.

Highlighting her natural beauty, the Harry Potter star opted for a light make-up look and smoky eye. 

Elsewhere, fellow actress Emma Thompson, 62, sported a navy suit.

Keeping her white blonde hair in a stylish bob, the national treasure beamed walking into the event with an easy look.

She paired her blue suit with a glamorous make-up look, with a light layer of foundation and statement pink lip.  

Footballer Dani Alves and his supermodel wife Joana Sanz  were also in attendance.

The pair stunned on the green carpet with Joana, 28, commanding attention in a floor-length pink number while Brazilian right back Dani, 38,  showed off his stylish flair in a black sequin jacket and sparkling trainers.

Meanwhile, Mo Salah, 29,  looked suave in a dapper black tuxedo and Olympic rower Sir Matthew Clive Pinsent, 51, was joined by is glamorous wife Demetra.

Demetra is the CEO of cosmetic giant Charlotte Tilbury and is said to have helped Kate Middleton overhaul her image following the birth of Princess Charlotte. 

Also in attendance was Nigerian Afropop star Yemi Alade, 32, who turned heads in a dramatic red mini playsuit with a statement skirt cape and UK TV royalty Dermot O’Leary, who was joined by Clara Amfo on the carpet. 

Dermot sported a black tuexedo while Clara wore a white suit with patchwork detail.

Meanwhile, former Tory leader Lord William Hague, 60, was joined by his wife Ffion, while fellow politician Simon Case was also in attendance while London Mayor Sadiq Khan was dressed to impress in a suave tuxedo while his wife Saadiya Khan looked glamorous in a black and silver ensemble.

Tonight is the first ceremony in Duke of Cambridge’s decade-long global environmental competition with a set of A-list judges set to join the show which will see winners handed £1million for an idea to protect the planet.

Sir David Attenborough, who has supported the project from the beginning, is a member of the Earthshot Prize council, which will choose the winners.

Judges include actress David Attenborough, Cate Blanchett, singer Shakira and Queen Rania of Jordan.  

William and David Attenborough will also present a new BBC show about the environment featuring pioneers who have been recognised for finding innovative solutions to the most pressing climate issues.

An exciting and star-studded group of internationally recognised performers, presenters and Earthshot Prize guests will be joining William and Kate.

These global stars will arrived via a green carpet, before taking their seats in Alexandra Palace’s stunning East Court Theatre for the ceremony, which will be broadcast this evening at 8pm on BBC1.

The event will be a celebration of the natural world, focussed on turning the current pessimism surrounding environmental issues into optimism by celebrating the people and places driving change – the first-ever Earthshot Prize Finalists and Winners.

The stars of the show will be the five inaugural winners of The Earthshot Prize who will be announced during the ceremony, which will celebrate the ingenuity of all 15 Earthshot Prize Finalists and their extraordinary work to tackle the challenges posed by climate change and the threats to our oceans, air, and land.

Launched by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in October 2020, The Earthshot Prize has been inspired by President John F. Kennedy’s ‘Moonshot’ programme in the 1960’s, which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon.

The Earthshot Prize aims to incentivise change and inspire collective action around our unique ability to innovate, problem solve and ultimately repair our planet over the next ten years.

The Earthshot Prize is based on five ‘Earthshot’ goals: Protect and restore nature; Fix our climate; Clean our air; Revive our oceans; Build a waste free world. Five £1 million prizes will be awarded each year for the next 10 years, providing at least 50 solutions to the world’s greatest environmental problems by 2030.