Britain’s Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, will be travelling to Mumbai next week on a joint visit to unveil the 2026 Earthshot Prize winners, Kensington Palace said on Sunday.
The annual prize, founded by the heir to the British throne six years ago, is the world’s leading environmental award and is worth 1 million pounds each (around $1.3 million) for five finalists.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’ palace team said this year’s awards night in Mumbai on Tuesday is set to be the “biggest ever” following engagement with 15,000 schools across 24 Indian states.
“Whilst in Mumbai, the Prince’s programme will focus on the Earthshot Prize and its mission to accelerate solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. The Princess will join the Prince for a number of engagements throughout the visit,” the palace said.
“Their Royal Highnesses will undertake a programme of engagements across Mumbai between Monday 16th and Wednesday 18th November, celebrating innovation, sustainability, youth leadership and the enduring connections between the United Kingdom and India,” it stated.
Prince William is set to attend the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly and meet the 2026 Earthshot Prize Finalists in an iconic Mumbai location.
The royal will then be joined by Kate for the 2026 Earthshot Prize Awards Night, celebrating extraordinary individuals and organisations whose pioneering work is helping to repair and restore our planet.
The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize dedicated to identifying, celebrating and backing innovative solutions the world needs to address its greatest environmental challenges such as climate change, waste, air pollution, ocean conservation and biodiversity loss.
The prize unveils five winners each year at an annual awards gala held around the world, with India being this year’s chosen venue.
According to Kensington Palace, the senior royals will also celebrate several of the “deep cultural connections” between the UK and India across “cricket, fashion and cinema” during their time in Mumbai. “Beginning with an engagement focused on the uniquely Indian passion of gully cricket and concluding with a visit to the heart of Mumbai’s film industry, Their Royal Highnesses will celebrate the creativity, talent and cultural influence that continue to shape modern India and strengthen ties between the two countries,” the palace stated.
Next week marks the Prince and Princess of Wales’ second official visit to India, after their April 2016 visit.
The royals look forward to spending time with people across Mumbai and celebrating the inspiring environmental solutions, innovation and young leadership that will be showcased throughout the visit and at the 2026 Earthshot Prize Awards Night, the palace said.
In recognition of the “vital role” young people have to play in the future of the planet, the royals are also set to attend the inaugural Children’s Earthshot Awards Ceremony.
Following a nationwide programme involving schools, young people aged between nine and 17 have been invited to develop solutions to environmental challenges affecting the places where they live.
The event will celebrate the creativity, innovation and leadership being shown by the next generation of environmental changemakers, the palace said.
It added: “As one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing economies, India is playing an increasingly important role in addressing global environmental challenges. Home to a vibrant innovation ecosystem, world-leading entrepreneurs and a new generation of sustainability leaders, the country is developing solutions that combine technology, enterprise and community action to protect the natural environment whilst supporting economic growth.
“It has also produced more Earthshot Prize Winners and Finalists than any other country. Mumbai, India’s financial and creative capital, is at the forefront of many of these developments and provides a fitting backdrop for this year’s Earthshot Prize celebrations.”
The Prince and Princess are also set to spend time with communities across the city, learning more about the innovation, optimism and creativity helping to shape India’s future.
Their schedule has been designed to showcase a range of sectors and initiatives, from “sustainable urban transport and responsible manufacturing to youth-led environmental action and India’s globally influential creative industries”.
Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, one of India’s biggest electric three-wheeler manufacturers, is among this year’s finalists.
“The biggest story in the world is not just the challenges our planet faces, but the growing movement of people rising to meet them,” said Jason Knauf, CEO of the Earthshot Prize.
“Mumbai will be our biggest stage yet to tell that story, showing the world India’s environmental leadership, creativity and culture. With Earthshot projections across Mumbai, our largest ever schools programme and the biggest ever awards night, the prize will be an incredible celebration of environmental progress,” he said.
The awards evening will open with the Earthshot Orchestra, led by Mumbai composer and pianist Merlin D’Souza, performing The Chemical Brothers’ ‘Galvanise ‘. They will be joined on stage by Wild Wild Women, India’s first all-female hip hop collective, for a high-energy rap performance.
Singer Shreya Ghoshal will join British chart-toppers Take That, who will perform in India for the first time.
A host of Indian and global stars across music, film, and sport, including Sachin Tendulkar, Alia Bhatt and Rami Malek, will come together for the grand show to be hosted by Karan Johar and Earthshot Ambassadors Robert Irwin and Nomzamo Mbatha.