October was a big month for the Duke of Cambridge. William launched a two week push on climate change and conservation, using his princely power to bring together a diverse coalition that spans every continent and religious group. We also saw the Queen outside of palace grounds for the first time since March and the other royals continued working hard and making appearances.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

• Prince William spent most of October focused on the environment and climate change, with a series of massive media moments and initiatives. His two week campaign was full of huge events and launches which included:

  • The cutest part of the campaign, was a video with William and Kate’s kids asking Sir David Attenborough questions about animals and the natural world. Prince Louis saying “amimal” may be one of the best royal moments of the year!

  • The documentary Prince William: A Planet for Us All, was released on ITV after filming for the last two years and following his conservation work. 

  • The centerpiece of it all was the launch of The Earthshot Prize, basically an environmental version of the Nobel Prize, which will give 50 mill pounds over 10 years - with five projects winning a million pound grant each year. William launched it with a slew of big partners from foundations run by Jack Ma and Bloomberg, to major environmental groups like the World Wildlife Fund. 

    • BBC Series that highlighted the five focuses of the prizes

    • A judging panel that includes Queen Rania of Jordan, Shakira and Cate Blanchett

    • Endorsements from President Obama, PM Boris Johnson and most major environmental groups

    • Radio interview

  • He also appeared for a TED Talk, during TED Countdown their first free virtual conference focusing on climate change

  • Another big moment was having several key environmental patronages handed down to him, The British Trust for Ornithology, from the Duke of Edinburgh, and 

• Following the unveiling of the winners of Kate’s Hold Still photography competition with the National Portrait Gallery, the photos were put up all over country - at bus stops, on billboards, in tube stations and more.  We saw the happy couple visit a few of the sites and speak with the people who had taken the photographs and appeared in them.

• William and Kate together welcomed President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine and First Lady Olena Zelenska, at Buckingham Palace - a big responsibility given to them by the Queen!

• Kate announced the Natural History Museum’s Wildlife Photographer of the Year award as part of their virtual awards ceremony and looked AMAZING! The chicest black suit and honestly, incredible hair and makeup.

The Queen

• The Queen and Prince William had a rare joint engagement to visit the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down. As it was her first in-person appearance outside of palace grounds since Covid, it was especially significant that she brought William. 

• The Countess of Wessex and The Queen had an online engagement together to mark World Sight Day, as Sophie has a focus on eliminating avoidable blindness. 

Our Other Favorites

• Sophie joined a runner  for a very rainy 1.5 miles of their own version of the cancelled London Marathon, in support of Men Cap, which supports people with learning disabilities. 

• Camilla attended a training exercise for dogs that can detect Covid through Medical Detection Dogs.

• Prince Charles and Camilla had four amazing sculptures installed at their home, Highgrove House as a part of CoExistence, an environmental art campaign produced by @elephantfamily which will see 125 life-size elephant sculptures migrate through London’s Royal Parks next summer. The artisans who created the sculptures are largely from the Adavasi tribal communities who live in close proximity to wild elephants.

Key Celebrations in October

• October 9th - The Duke of Kent turned 85!

• October 15th - Sarah, Duchess of York turned 61

What I’m Looking Forward to in November

• November 8th - Lady Louise Windsor (daughter of Edward and Sophie) turns 17

• November 14th - Prince Charles turns 72

• November 15th - Peter Phillips, the oldest of the Queen’s grandchildren and son of Princess Anne, turns 43