Prince William will look to cement himself as ‘global statesman’ in his visit to US, aides say – as they insist he ‘won’t be distracted’ by survey showing he’s the most popular public figure in America ahead of Zelensky, the King and Joe Biden
- Prince William is flying high after the poll with surveyed him at the top of pile
A buoyed Prince William is hoping to enter a global statesman role as he visits the US following a favorable survey that polled him higher that Joe Biden.
The Royal, 41, is going next Monday to raise the profile of the Earthshot prize, his environmental award for planet-saving solutions and initiatives.
But an aide says a recent poll, which positioned him as viewed more favourably than the US president or even Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky will not divert him from the task at hand.
The Gallup survey concerned 15 pre-chosen names of ‘public figures in the news’ and Americans were asked whether they thought of them favourably, or otherwise.
William came top with 59 per cent while Russian president Vladimir Putin came bottom, with only 5 per cent of respondents viewing him in favourable terms.
The aide said: ‘Of course he’s aware of the poll.
‘He’s not distracted by polling — his focus is always on getting on with the job and focusing on his work.’
William is going next Monday to raise the profile of the Earthshot prize, his environmental award for planet-saving solutions and initiatives
William came top with 59 per cent while Russian president Vladimir Putin came bottom, with only 5 per cent of respondents viewing him in favourable terms.
Nevertheless the results must come as a relief, given Meghan and Harry’s attacks on the Royal family in various interviews and TV shows.
William will be doing a solo visit, in terms of other Royal Family members, but will be joined at one point by Earthshot champion and actress Cate Blanchett.
He will also meet the UN secretary-general António Guterres during the trip.
Later in the visit he will get wet in the Hudson River to highlight a water project.
The trip will also see him unveil this year’s 15 Earthshot finalists before November’s final.
The aide added to the Sunday Times: ‘This trip is part of his evolution as a global statesman which is incredibly important, especially since becoming Prince of Wales.
The Prince and Princess of Wales and the Princess Royal taking part The Good, The Bad and The Rugby World Cup podcast special at Windsor Castle, Berkshire
The Duke of Cambridge (centre) with Danny Kelly and Cate Blanchett, who will be in New York
‘He and his courtiers have been thinking about how to manage that transition from Duke of Cambridge to the next king. You’ve seen a number of iterations of that, whether that’s meeting with Joe Biden in Boston or travelling to the border with Ukraine and talking about the importance of fighting for our freedoms.
‘The US is very important to him. The world’s climate movers and shakers will be in New York having conversations about the future of the planet and the prince is keen to be part of those conversations and put Earthshot front and centre.
‘He has huge ambitions for what the prize can become and is extremely focused on its legacy and impact.’
The Prince and Princess of Wales will travel together to Singapore later this year for the final of William’s environmental award.
The couple will travel to the south east Asian country in November after it was selected as the destination of the third annual awards ceremony for the Prince’s Earthshot prize.
Kate greeted Ellie Goulding at last year’s ceremony with a friendly kiss on the cheek, as they were pictured smiling and catching up at the Earthshot Prize in Boston
During the event the five winners of The Earthshot Prize 2023 will be awarded £1million.
The ceremony will also feature performances by world-renowned musicians and artists.
Founded by Prince William in 2020, The Earthshot Prize aims to find solutions to help address climate change issues.
Last year’s ceremony took place in the US in Boston, when guests arrived in hybrid vehicles and were encouraged to wear vintage, recycled or reusable clothing. Kate, who presented an award, wore a rented lime green Solace London dress from fashion platform Hurr and teamed it with an emerald choker worn by Princess Diana.
William has said that Earthshot was inspired by John F Kennedy’s Moonshot programme which challenged America to put man on the moon and helped launch the Moon landing in 1969. Last year’s winners included a British start-up, Notpla, which uses seaweed to make packaging.
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