Prince William & Cate Blanchett visited an Earthshot-nominated business

For a few years now, Prince William’s wife has not joined him at any event involving Earthshot. Kate hasn’t attended an Earthshot Prize ceremony since 2022, and she’s probably going to skip this year’s prize ceremony in Brazil. She also skips the more mundane Earthshot photo-ops, with William visiting various eco-businesses or start-ups to highlight the work being done. Those visits happen with some regularity, maybe a half-dozen visits a year? He rarely gets much attention for the visits though. Which is probably why someone on his team was like “hey, let’s invite a celebrity guest for William, since he loves hanging out with celebrities (and he doesn’t like working).” Enter Cate Blanchett, who has been involved with Earthshot for a couple of years. Cate joined William to visit Colorifix in Norwich on Thursday.

One could argue that Cate had a particular interest in this visit because Colorifix creates natural dyes, which is good because many dyes are full of harmful chemicals. Therefore, this visit was sort of about fashion, and Cate loves fashion and “green fashion.” And hey, she’s Cate Blanchett – if she didn’t want to go somewhere, she would just say no. She’s been cozying up to the Windsors for a while now – she’s their latest David Beckham! I wonder if she’s trying to get a damehood. It would be well-deserved for her acclaimed acting work, but I guess Cate figures that it never hurts to suck up to these people.

Meanwhile, William’s 43rd birthday is on Saturday (June 21). He’ll be in his 50s and 60s and the people around him will still infantilize him and treat him like he’s a big-boy statesman for doing anything at all. I wonder if this weekend will be full of Embiggening Willy stories. Probably. In any case, Dick Fitzwilliams is giving us a preview:

According to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, the future King’s relatability will help to ensure the monarchy is fit for service in the 21st century. Richard said: ‘As heir to the throne, Prince William will inherit a role which he could be called upon to fill at any time. He has already established a reputation for diplomacy as the monarchy, both in the era of Queen Elizabeth and especially more recently in the unpredictable era of Donald Trump, is pivotal in Britain’s use of soft power. William also wants to change things and modernise aspects of the monarchy, whilst maintaining relevant traditions which are valuable such as the Opening of Parliament and Trooping the Colour.’

On top of this, as the Prince of Wales, William is using other tools at his disposal to spearhead campaigns close to his heart. Richard said: ‘He has also inherited the Dukedom of Cornwall and plans to change the lives of its inhabitants where he can, especially in combating homelessness and having a positive impact on the lives of farmers. His promotion of environmental issues is more relatable than the campaigning, admirable though it has been, of his father, who has given so many dire forecasts about the effects of climate change. William’s Earthshot Prize emphasises the positive and the importance of tackling it with inventions and rewarding those who create them.’

[From The Daily Mail]

Such meager accomplishments for a 43-year-old man with an unbelievable amount of access, power, money and a global stage. This is basically all they have – he’s a statesman because he met Trump and went to one funeral, and he’s a slumlord who asks his tenants about their mental health. Oh, and something something Earthshot, where he’ll only work if he gets to hang out with celebrities.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.