Prince William is bowled over by Earthshot prize winner as he visits The Oval while Kate keeps out of the limelight

The Prince of Wales visited the Oval cricket ground today as he continues to carry out assignments while his wife Kate recovers from abdominal surgery at home.

Prince William was at the stadium in south London to celebrate an Earthshot Prize winner’s new contract to supply sustainable packaging for use in sporting venues.

With the king stepping back from his public duties while being treated for cancer, the heir to the throne has taken on a greater share of royal duties in recent weeks.

He combines this with supporting Kate, who is not expected to return until after Easter, and helping to care for their three children George, Charlotte and Louis.

Queen Camilla has led the royals at other events amid a sudden shortage of relatives on the front line – with Princess Anne, Prince Edward and Sophie also helping out.

Previously, Edward and Sophie were pictured carrying out their own royal duties as they met Leeds Rhinos Women rugby team at Headingley Stadium.

Today – William, who founded the Earthshot environmental award to recognize and scale projects to restore the planet, joined Pierre Paslier, co-founder and co-CEO of Notpla, to hear about the multi-million deal pounds with his company.

Notpla’s seaweed-based products will be supplied to Levy, a leading sports and entertainment caterer, for use in more than 50 venues, from the Oval to Wimbledon’s All England Lawn Tennis Club and London’s O2.

The boxes will also be used at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and the Twickenham Stadium in London.

William has been instrumental in supporting the relationship between Levy and Notpla, which won the 2022 Earthshot ‘build a waste-free world’ category.

Last autumn, Mr Paslier spoke of the help they had received from William in making connections with the industry, after he helped them secure trials of their products with Premier League football clubs.

Under the new contract, Levy is expected to use 75 million items of Notpla’s seaweed-based food packaging materials over the next three years, helping them meet their ambitious climate goals.

Singapore hosted the latest Earthshot awards ceremony last November after awards events were held in Boston in 2022 and London’s Alexandra Palace in 2021, with Cape Town named as this year’s host city.

As Duke of Cornwall, William can be seen as the landlord of the Oval as the sporting venue is part of the Duchy of Cornwall, a portfolio of land, property and investments that provide an income for the Prince of Wales.

He will tour the cricket ground, meet Surrey cricketers, training for the start of the season, and ground staff who have created a special marquee that mimics the conditions of a summer day for practice sessions.

Next Monday, William will attend an event at the immersive arts venue Frameless in the Marble Arch area of ​​London’s West End, celebrating the Earthshot Prize ‘Launchpad’ project.

This is a new online matchmaking platform for Earthshot projects that is open to investors and philanthropists who want to co-invest and collaborate on environmental ideas.

Kensington Palace said the Earthshot Prize has awarded £15 million in prize money since 2021 and has helped unlock £50 million in support for the 45 winners and finalists through its network.

Also on Monday, Camilla and William will attend the annual Commonwealth Day service, joined by the remaining members of the downsized monarchy.

Now that the King and Kate no longer have public duties, the rest of the institute’s working members will gather in Westminster Abbey.

Camilla and William are joined by Edward, Sophie and Anne, along with the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent.

A pre-recorded video message from the head of the Commonwealth, Charles, who is undergoing treatment for cancer, will be played during this year’s service, Buckingham Palace said.

The annual celebration will focus on the theme of resilience – at a time when the royal family has faced a barrage of health problems.

But the service will focus on stories of environmental resilience and marine sustainability, through performances representing the Commonwealth’s five regions.

Elsewhere, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh visited Headingley Stadium in Leeds today

Sophie and Edward meet members of the Leeds Rhinos Women Rugby League team today

William’s appearance at the televised event – a key part of the royal calendar – alongside Camilla comes after he withdrew at the last minute from attending the memorial service of his godfather, King Constantine of Greece, last week due to an undisclosed personal matter.

Camilla will then undertake a second assignment when she attends the annual Commonwealth Day reception at Marlborough House in London, where she will meet Foreign Ministers, British Parliamentarians and High Commissioners.

About 2,000 guests will go to the Abbey in London to celebrate the Commonwealth network of 56 countries.

The congregation will include Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland, the President of Malta, Foreign Ministers, High Commissioners, senior politicians and dignitaries from across the Commonwealth, faith leaders and schoolchildren and young people from across the United Kingdom.

Notpla will provide reflections and writer Sir Ben Okri will read a specially written poem for the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth.

Camilla is met by the Dean of Westminster as an all-female group of Indian Dhol drummers Eternal Taal perform at the Great West Door.

Musical performances include singer Calum Scott and dance group The Ghetto Kids.

Members of the Royal Family will meet at the end with those involved in the service, including Commonwealth flag bearers. The service will be broadcast live on BBC One.

William received flowers for Kate from pupils at All Saints Primary School in Wrexham last Friday

Kate was last seen at a royal event on Christmas Day 2023 with her family at Sandringham

Last week the Prince of Wales was asked: ‘William, how is Catherine?’ during his visit to Wrexham AFC’s Racecourse Ground to mark St David’s Day, but did not respond to the question.

Later, William thanked a group of schoolchildren for giving him a bouquet of flowers for Kate during their visit to a school.

They gave him Welsh dragon toys for his three children – and then flowers for Kate. The prince said to them, “I will pass them on to Catherine too, thank you very much.”

Last week it also emerged that Buckingham Palace had been considering plans for Camilla and Kate to hand out awards in a bid to spread the burden of royal duties in a downsized monarchy.

Meanwhile, Kate’s ‘black sheep’ uncle Gary Goldsmith – Carole’s brother – praised her as ‘perfect’ as he entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Monday.