Prince William was greeted by hundreds of eager royal fans as he arrived in Singapore today, including an eight-month-old who gently bit his finger.
The Prince of Wales arrived at Changi Airport on Sunday to cheering crowds holding up signs, waving Union Jack flags and clutching photos of his late mother Princess Diana.
The father-of-three, 41, is visiting the island for the third annual Earthshot Prize, where he will announce the next batch of companies and inventors to be handed £1million to scale up their environmental ideas, as well as speak with previous winners.
Arriving for the four-day trip, Prince William took the time to greet a number of those who had gathered near the airport’s famous Rain Vortex – including eight-month-old Albane Costa.
The Prince of Wales was animated as he spoke to the youngster and their mother, and the baby took an instant interest in William’s hands.
Prince William was greeted by hundreds of eager royal fans as he arrived in Singapore today, including an eight-month-old girl who gently bit his finger
The Prince of Wales arrived at Changi Airport on Sunday to cheering crowds holding up signs, waving Union Jack flags and clutching photos of his late mother Princess Diana
At one point, the baby decided to chomp down on his pointer finger, before continuing grasping his hand and smiling up at the future king.
William took the moment in his stride, grinning at the playful baby.
He said: ‘I need my finger… I need my finger back!’
Later, he chatted with children and took selfies with those eagerly lining the airport, as he walked through with Sim Ann, the country’s foreign affairs minister.
This year’s Earthshot Prize will be the first ceremony William has attended without his wife, the Princess of Wales. For the previous ceremonies, in Boston and London, the royal couple have arrived hand-in-hand.
But this year, Kate will stay at home with her three children, helping George study for important exams.
The ten-year-old prince, who is in Year 6 at Lambrook prep school in Berkshire, will likely be sitting entrance exams to his future private school, being tested in mathematics, English and verbal reasoning.
Arriving in Singapore, William was shown the Jewel, a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex surrounded by and linked to one of the passenger terminals of Changi Airport.
To officially mark the arrival of Earthshot in Singapore, the Jewel’s 40 metre rain vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall, will be switched on and illuminated green.
Arriving for the four-day trip, Prince William took the time to greet a number of those who had gathered near the airport’s famous Rain Vortex – including eight-month-old Albane Costa
The father-of-three, 41, is visiting the island for the third annual Earthshot Prize
He chatted with children and took selfies with those eagerly lining the airport, as he walked through with Sim Ann, the country’s foreign affairs minister
This year’s Earthshot Prize will be the first ceremony William has attended without his wife, the Princess of Wales
This year, Kate will stay at home with her three children, helping George study for important exams
Arriving in Singapore, William was shown the Jewel, a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex surrounded by and linked to one of the passenger terminals of Changi Airport
Opened in 2019, the Jewel is a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex surrounded by and linked to one of the passenger terminals of Changi Airport.
As he did, William took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share his excitement to be back on the Asian island.
He wrote: ‘Hello Singapore. It’s fantastic to be back in Singapore for this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony, after eleven years. Singapore’s bold vision to be a leader for environmental innovation sets the standard for others to follow.
‘I am grateful to the Singaporean people for hosting us this week. Let us all take inspiration from the fantastic work being done here as we celebrate this year’s Earthshot Prize finalists.’
To officially mark the arrival of Earthshot in Singapore, the Jewel’s 40 metre rain vortex, the world’s largest indoor waterfall, will be switched on and illuminated green
Opened in 2019, the Jewel is a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex surrounded by and linked to one of the passenger terminals of Changi Airport
William said: ‘Hello Singapore. It’s fantastic to be back in Singapore for this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony, after eleven years. Singapore’s bold vision to be a leader for environmental innovation sets the standard for others to follow’
William will be heavily involved in Earthshot Week, a series of events bringing together businesses and investors with past winners and current finalists to accelerate their solutions
William will be heavily involved in Earthshot Week, a series of events bringing together businesses and investors with past winners and current finalists to accelerate their solutions.
He will also take part in dragon boating, meet Singaporeans to learn how they are working locally to protect the planet, and attend a United for Wildlife summit throughout his four-day visit.
The Earthshot Prize ceremony on November 7 will be hosted by Emmy Award winning actor and producer Sterling K Brown and actress Hannah Waddingham.
Bebe Rexha will perform, award-winning director and producer Donnie Yen will announce one of the five winners and Earthshot Prize Council member Sir David Attenborough will make a video appearance during the broadcast.
The awards, which are aimed at recognising solutions to “repair” the planet, will see five category winners presented with £1million each to scale up their environmental ideas.
He will also take part in dragon boating, meet Singaporeans to learn how they are working locally to protect the planet, and attend a United for Wildlife summit throughout his four-day visit
