Prince William plays Palace cricket to launch Earthshot countdown to Mumbai
The Prince of Wales bowled and batted in a cricket match outside Buckingham Palace to open the final countdown to the Earthshot Prize in Mumbai in November.
The Prize, the global environmental awards he founded, will give five winners £1 million each for work on sustainability and protecting the environment. India will stage the event for the first time. Royal Central
The game was organised by Backyard Cricket to mark the start of that final countdown. Prince William joined England players Joe Root, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Jimmy Anderson alongside former India captains Sourav Ganguly and Ajinkya Rahane. He bowled. He batted.
Prince William is Founder and President of The Earthshot Prize. The Prize is a global challenge to find, support and celebrate people turning bold ideas into practical solutions to repair the planet. It is built around five challenges aimed at having the greatest impact on the environmental problems facing the planet. Earthshot Prize
Fifteen finalists are in the running for the 2026 awards, with £1 million on offer in each of five categories. The categories include Revive our Oceans and Fix our Climate. The winners will be named in Mumbai in November. Earthshot Prize
The Court Circular, the official daily record of royal engagements, notes that on 12 October 2026 the Prince, as Founder and President, received Jesper Brodin, Chairman of the Earthshot Prize, at Windsor Castle. Court Circular
The host for the 2026 awards has praised Prince William's passion for tackling climate change. The comment was reported ahead of the final, as preparations moved towards Mumbai. People
Past winners give a sense of the Prize's range. Milan and Costa Rica were among the winners named in 2021, when the Prize was still in its first cycle. That history now stretches to a first final in India. Reuters
What makes this stand out is the casting. For fans, this was not speeches in a ballroom but England and India stars sharing a street-style game with the Prince outside the Palace, weeks before the contest moves to Mumbai.
