Prince William plunges into seaweed packaging making as he visits East London Earthshot Prize-winning sustainable company
Prince William was photographed in East London earlier today visiting an Earthshot Prize-winning company in the capital – trying to make eco-friendly products.
The 40-year-old Prince of Wales created the 2020 Earthshot Prize to “find extraordinary solutions to the world’s biggest environmental challenges.”
Among the companies honored with the awards is sustainable packaging start-up Notpla, the Hackney Wick headquarters that the Royal Family visited today.
The London-based start-up, which makes plastic-free consumer packaging from seaweed and plants, took home honors in the ‘Build a Waste-Free World’ category last November.
For his appearance, the royal family sported a signature look, wearing a two-piece navy blue suit with a light blue open-neck shirt.
Prince William, photographed today visiting Earthshot Prize winner and sustainable packaging start-up, Notpla in East London
During his visit, Prince William undertook a tour of the headquarters with Notpla co-founders Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez and Pierre Paslier.
In addition to viewing the company’s product portfolio, the royal family got to see how the brand is working to minimize the use of single-use plastics.
He even got in on the action, visiting the company’s in-house lab where he tried making the company’s flagship product, “Notpla Rigid material,” from seaweed.
Since winning the Earthshot award, Notpla has expanded its team by 10 people and invested in new machines for research and development.
Prince William’s appearance today followed last week’s release of a video that left some royal onlookers swooning.
The six-minute clip – which was uploaded to the Prince and Princess of Wales’s YouTube account – showed William rowing with the navy.
It begins with the arrival of the Royal Family at Dorney Lake in Windsor to meet members of the HMS Oardacious.
The father of three met Lieutenant Commander Hugo Mitchell-Heggs and his team as they cross the Atlantic in December in their new eco-friendly boat.
During his tenure, the Royal Family (pictured, right) toured the company with co-founders Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez (pictured, left) and Pierre Paslier (center)
After being introduced to the group, Prince William loved to go rowing – but he joked that he would accidentally “hit oars” with one of the pros.
His performance is part of an ongoing campaign, founded in 2019, to bring mental health support to those who work in submarines.
For the engagement, William dressed in a blue Royal Navy hoodie, black shorts and donned sunglasses.
After doing a few laps on the lake, the group returned to Eton College’s rowing club, where they discussed their ways of coping at work.
While the crew’s mental health was the topic of conversation, the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Instagram followers were distracted by William’s good looks.
Prince William (pictured today in East London) has created the 2020 Earthshot Prize to find ‘extraordinary solutions to the world’s biggest environmental challenges’
The clip of William rowing garnered some enthusiastic reactions from fans on Instagram.
One of them wrote, “Prince William’s title should be Prince of Hotness.”
Another added: ‘Couldn’t help but think, ‘hello daddy long legs!’
“Ah yes His Royal Highness does it again,” gushed a third.
“Prince William is so handsome,” replied a fourth.