Prince William, the founder and president of the Earthshot Prize, is eager to see solutions for the climate crisis "scale faster." As he prepares for the second annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, Prince William has joined forces with global leaders to continue the search for innovative ideas and technologies to combat climate change worldwide.

During a fireside chat with Vaitea Cowan, co-founder of Enapter, a project focused on green hydrogen in Southeast Asia, Prince William expressed his impatience with the pace of progress. He emphasized the need for solutions to scale up quickly in order to have the greatest impact. Prince William acknowledged that while his role is to inspire and support these solutions, there is still work to be done to accelerate their growth.

To further his environmental initiatives, Prince William has collaborated with Michael Bloomberg and Bloomberg Philanthropies. Together, they have unveiled this year's 15 Earthshot Prize finalists and introduced groundbreaking climate and environmental solutions. The Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, which coincided with Climate Week in New York, brought together business leaders and philanthropists, including Bill Gates and Jose Andres.

Before the summit, Prince William met with Ecuador's President Lasso Mendoza at the United Nations. The meeting took place at the Consul General Official Residence, where they were surrounded by an Andy Warhol print of Queen Elizabeth II. This meeting held significance as it occurred one year after the funeral of the longest-reigning British monarch. During their conversation, Prince William praised Ecuador's environmental efforts and shared his own experiences with the Billion Oyster Project in New York.

Prior to his meeting with President Mendoza, Prince William also met with United Nations Secretary-General Ant??nio Guterres to discuss climate change and sustainable development.

This visit to the United States marks Prince William's second trip in recent months. In December, he and Kate attended the second annual Earthshot Prize awards in Boston. However, on this occasion, Princess Kate remained in the UK and visited the youth charity Streets of Growth, which aims to transform the lives of young individuals facing adversity.

Prince William's trip to New York began with his arrival at Newark Liberty International Airport. Upon landing, he expressed his excitement to be back in the United States and reaffirmed his belief in the ability of his generation to take bold action for a healthier and more sustainable world.

The culmination of Prince William's visit was the Earthshot Prize nominations. The awards ceremony, originally scheduled for last year, had been postponed due to the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. The Earthshot Prize, created by Prince William in 2020, aims to recognize environmental heroes who are making significant contributions to climate change mitigation and sustainability.

While Prince William focused on the Earthshot Prize, his brother Prince Harry celebrated the Invictus Games in Germany with his wife, Meghan Markle. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were seen displaying affection as they marked Prince Harry's 39th birthday at the event. The Invictus Games, founded by Prince Harry in 2014, serves as a platform to inspire and support military veterans worldwide as they overcome the challenges of their battlefield injuries.