Prince and Princess of Wales finish 3-day Boston trip with Earthshot awards
Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales visited the United States for the first time in eight years with a three-day trip to Boston.
The royal couple focused their attention on their Earthshot Prize for environmental innovators Friday night. Prince William said he was inspired by JFK's "Moonshot" speech to create a decade of action and collaboration to combat climate change.
Earthshot Prize Awards
Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, hosted The Earthshot Prize Awards at MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston.
Bostonians inspired by Earthshot Prize
Inside look at The Earthshot Prize Awards
WBZ-TV's Paula Ebben was inside the MGM Music Hall at Fenway for The Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony with the royal couple. She is joined by royal expert Shannon Felton Spence with for an inside look at the star-studded event.
Heavy traffic amid Biden, royals visit
Traffic was at a standstill on I-93 Friday evening, with President Biden in Dorchester and the royals heading to the Earthshot Prize awards near Fenway Park.
Earlier this week, AAA predicted traffic on Friday would be "royally difficult."
President Biden arrives in Boston
President Joe Biden arrived in Boston just before 2:30 p.m. on Friday. He was scheduled to briefly meet with Prince William in the afternoon.
Biden and Prince William shook hands outside the JFK Library.
Biden later attended a fundraising event at the IBEW Local 103 hall.
Prince William meets Caroline Kennedy at JFK Library
Former President John F. Kennedy's daughter Caroline welcomed Prince William to the Kennedy Library in Dorchester Friday afternoon.
Kennedy, the U.S. Ambassador to Australia, was joined by her daughter Tatiana Schlossberg and son Jack Schlossberg when the prince arrived.
William got a private tour of the library, had lunch and then will meet with President Joe Biden there.
Princess Catherine visits Harvard
Catherine, Princess of Wales, waved to the crowd as she arrived at the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University in Cambridge Friday morning.
After leaving the center, she took some time to talk to several people, even commenting about how cold it was on Thursday.
David Beckham joining royals in Boston
There's been a late addition to the list of celebrities attending the Earthshot awards ceremony at the MGM Music Hall Friday night.
British soccer legend David Beckham will be there to present an award, according to a spokesperson for the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The spokesperson told WBZ-TV Beckham's equally famous wife, fashion designer Victoria Beckham, known to many as Posh Spice of the Spice Girls, will not be in Boston.
Behind the scenes with the royals at the MGM Music Hall
The Prince and Princess of Wales released these behind the scenes photos Friday of their rehearsal at the MGM Music Hall Thursday evening for the Earthshot awards ceremony.
Prince William, Princess Catherine to visit JFK Library, Harvard before Earthshot awards
The Prince and Princess of Wales will finish their three-day visit to Boston Friday with visits to the John F. Kennedy presidential library, Harvard University and the MGM Music Hall for the Earthshot awards.
Prince William will meet with President Biden at the JFK Library in Dorchester while Princess Catherine will be at Harvard's Center on the Developing Child in Cambridge.
The royal couple will then attend the Earthshot Prize ceremony at MGM Music Hall on Lansdowne Street in Boston for the global environmental prizes that William launched two years ago.
Five winners will get $1.2 million each for their work in nature protection, clean air, ocean revival, waste elimination and climate change.
Billie Eilish, Annie Lennox, Ellie Goulding, Chloe x Halle, Rami Malek, Catherine O'Hara, and Shailene Woodley will all be part of the event.
Busy second day in Boston
"A piece of history"
For Prince William and Princess Catherine, Thursday was about facetime with locals, and it was evident that their fanbase spans all generations.
There were a sea of admirers at stops in Somerville and Chelsea.
A visit to Boston Harbor
The royal couple made their way to East Boston to Piers Park for a first-hand look at the climate challenges facing Boston Harbor.
They were greeted by Mayor Michelle Wu and Rev. Mariama White-Hammond, who is the city's chief of environment, energy and open space.
Wu told reporters after it was a "chilly but quite educational time" for the royals along the waterfront. They talked about prioritizing climate resilience and the technologies Boston will be implementing to protect the shoreline.
"The Prince and Princess of Wales were so interested in the details of how do we actually implement this and do it fast," she said.
"History in the making," Prince and Princess of Wales meet the crowd in Chelsea
People flocked to Roca in Chelsea Thursday afternoon to get a look at the Prince and Princess of Wales after their visit there.
Boy dressed as King's Guard member meets royal couple in Somerville
The little boy named Henry, who had been waiting patiently for hours in the cold outside Greentown Labs in Somerville Thursday, was finally able to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales.
He gave the royal couple a bouquet of flowers, saluted and chatted with them briefly before they left for their next stop in Chelsea.
Crowd waits hours for brief glimpse of Prince and Princess of Wales in Somerville
A large crowd waited in the cold for hours Thursday morning to catch a very short sighting of the Prince and Princess of Wales as they arrived in Somerville for a tour of Greentown Labs.
"A lot of hoopla"
As the royal couple made their way to East Boston, not everyone in the neighborhood was starstruck by their visit.
Crowd gathers in Somerville ahead of royal visit
People lined up outside Greentown Labs in Somerville Thursday morning to get a glimpse of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
One boy dressed up a member of the The King's Guard hoping to get the royal couple's attention.
Visits to Somerville, Chelsea
After spending their first night in Boston at the Four Seasons on Boylston Street, the Prince and Princess of Wales will head to Somerville and Chelsea on Thursday.
Prince William and Princess Catherine will start the second day of their Massachusetts trip with a visit to Greentown Labs in Somerville. They're expected to stay there for about an hour before moving on to the non-profit Roca in Chelsea.
Anyone in those areas should expect traffic delays.
Prince and Princess of Wales attend Boston Celtics game
The Prince and Princess of Wales attended the Boston Celtics game against the Miami Heat at TD Garden Wednesday night. There was a nod to The Earthshot Prize, when 15-year-old climate activist Ollie Perrault was honored as a "Hero Among Us."
Prince William speaks at Boston City Hall
Prince William addressed a large crowd at Boston City Hall on the first day of his trip to the city. He spoke about the Earthshot Prize Awards and why he picked Boston to host the ceremony. Princess Catherine helped illuminate City Hall in green.
Mayor Wu greets Prince and Princess of Wales
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu greeted Prince William and Princess Catherine at City Hall.
Royal couple arrives at Logan Airport on commercial flight
Passengers on the same flight said it was exciting to travel with Prince William and Princess Catherine, who chose to fly to the Earthshot Prize Awards on a commercial flight. Passengers said the couple was relaxed and pleasant.
Why the royal visit to Boston is such a big deal
Boston Mayor Wu stresses Boston's commitment to going green as she welcomes Royals
Governor-elect Maura Healey welcomes Prince and Princess of Wales to Boston
Going green
Several Boston landmarks will be lit up in green starting Wednesday night in recognition of the Earthshot Prize Awards.
They are:
- City Hall
- JFK Library
- 100 Federal Street
- Atlantic Wharf
- The Hub on Causeway
- Bolling Building
- Government Center
- UMass Boston Integrated Science Complex
- One Financial Center
- Rose Kennedy Greenway
- Center Plaza
- John Hancock
- Shubert Theater
- Wang Theater
- Museum of Science
- TD Garden
- Zakim Bridge (Thursday night)
- Longfellow Bridge (Thursday night)
President Biden to greet royals during Boston visit
President Joe Biden will greet Prince William and Princess Catherine during a Friday trip to Boston, the White House announced.
The White House said Tuesday that Biden would be coming to Boston, but initially did not mention events with the royals.
On Wednesday, the Biden administration updated that the president plans to greet the prince and princess. Biden will be in Boston to "participate in a reception for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee."
"Utterly delightful" airplane chat
First photos of the prince and princess in Boston
We're getting our first look at Prince William and Princess Catherine of Wales as they arrive in Boston. The royal couple met with Gov. Charlie Baker upon landing at Logan Airport.
VIDEO: Prince William and Princess Catherine land in Boston
Prince William and Princess Catherine have landed in Boston.
The Prince of Wales said in a statement:
"Catherine and I are delighted to be back in the United States and are extremely grateful to Governor Baker and The First Lady of Massachusetts for their warm welcome into Boston.
"On this, our first overseas visit since the death of my grandmother, I would like to thank the people of Massachusetts and particularly of Boston for their many tributes paid to the late Queen. She remembered her 1976 bicentennial visit with great fondness.
"My grandmother was one of life's optimists. And so am I. That is why last year we launched the Earthshot Prize with the ambition to create a truly global platform to inspire hope and urgent optimism as we look to save the future of our planet.
"To the people of Boston, thank you. I'm so grateful to you for allowing us to host the second year of the Earthshot prize in your great city. Catherine and I can't wait to meet many of you in the days ahead."
Boston traffic could be "royally difficult"
Boston traffic could be "royally difficult" this week with a prince, princess and president coming to town.
AAA says there is "the potential for significant traffic disruptions and road closures," and drivers should plan ahead.
Click here to read more.
Public welcome at Boston City Hall for royal visit
It's going to rain and it will be windy, but the public is invited to Boston City Hall Plaza to catch a glimpse of the Prince and Princess of Wales around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Expect tight security in Boston rest of the week
With the royal couple in town the rest of the week and President Biden coming to Boston Friday, expect security to be tight the next few days.
Excitement growing at City Hall Plaza
An expected rainy evening is going to dampen excitement for Wednesday's royal visit.
A high school senior from Syracuse has been waiting on City Hall Plaza since around 8 a.m. after arriving the day before.
"I'm a huge, huge fan of the royal family," said Courtney Calkins, wearing a raincoat identical to Princess Catherine's.
Union Jack flying at Boston City Hall
All hands on deck security plan
Boston City Hall and the Fenway area are among several stops on the agenda for Prince William and Princess Catherine's three-day trip. Security analyst and former Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis said the State Department and Boston Police will have all hands on deck.
Final preparations in place for Prince and Princess of Wales
Somerville's Greentown Labs hopes Prince William, Princess Kate leave "inspired"
Greentown Labs in Somerville is home to more than 200 climate tech startups working on solutions for some of the biggest climate challenges. It's also one of the stops Prince William and Princess Kate will make during their Boston visit.
"They're meeting with five of our startups that are working to deploy technologies that align with the sectors they're focused on. So, think about cleaning the air, reviving the oceans, fixing the climate," said Julia Travaglini, senior vice president of marketing and communications,
Royal expert explains significance of Boston visit
Royal expert Shannon Spence said, "I think this is really a test trip for them. They are really trying to see how well and warmly they will be received in America as they take on these bigger titles. So I think in Boston they are going to be doing a lot of public temperature taking, that's why we're seeing such a diverse set of engagements."
Prince William and Princess Kate announce details of Boston visit
Details have been released about the schedule the Prince and Princess of Wales will follow during their time in Boston.
Wednesday:
4:30 p.m.: Welcome ceremony at City Hall with Mayor Michelle Wu
Thursday:
10:30 a.m.: Visit to Greentown Labs
12:00 p.m.: Visit to Roca Inc.
Friday:
11:15 a.m.: Princess Catherine visits Harvard
12:15 p.m.: Prince William visit JFK Library and Museum
4:45 p.m.: Earthshot Prize Awards at MGM Music Hall
