William and Kate to Visit Mumbai for Earthshot Awards as Five Winners Compete for £1 Million Each

Mumbai prepares for the biggest Earthshot gathering yet

Prince William and Catherine, the Princess of Wales, will attend the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Mumbai on November 17, 2026, during a visit lasting three days that combines environmental awards, children's projects and events celebrating Indian cinema and cricket. Five winners will each receive £1 million to help expand their environmental solutions, a total of £5 million.

Kensington Palace confirmed the visit on November 14. For Catherine, widely known as Kate, the journey will be her first major overseas tour with William since announcing her cancer diagnosis in 2024, and her first Earthshot awards appearance since Boston in December 2022.

Organisers expect approximately 5,000 attendees, with the palace describing a wider gathering of more than 5,000 people across the Mumbai events. Participants will include young people, scientists, business leaders, philanthropists, Indigenous communities and environmental innovators.

The awards received around 7,000 nominations from 169 countries, from which 15 finalists were selected. Their work ranges from electric vehicles in India to wildfire detection in Argentina and conservation across a vast mountain landscape in North America.

The palace said the royal programme would celebrate innovation, sustainability, youth leadership and the enduring connections between the United Kingdom and India. Alongside the main ceremony, William and Catherine will attend the inaugural Children's Earthshot Awards, recognising environmental action by young people across India.

What happens during the visit?

The royal programme begins on Monday, November 16, with the main awards ceremony taking place on Tuesday, November 17. Events across Mumbai will bring together environmental work and some of India's most familiar cultural interests, including film, fashion and cricket.

The couple are expected to meet Bollywood stars, learn about India's film industry and take part in engagements connected to cricket. The announced programme places Indian organisations, creativity and young people alongside the international awards.

The key dates leading into the visit are:

• 2016: William and Catherine visited India and Bhutan, with stops in Mumbai, New Delhi, Kaziranga National Park and the Taj Mahal.
• December 2022: Catherine attended the Earthshot ceremony in Boston, her most recent appearance at the awards.
• January 2025: Catherine announced that her cancer was in remission.
• May 2026: She visited Reggio Emilia in Italy for two days of engagements focused on early childhood education.
• November 14, 2026: Kensington Palace confirmed the couple's Mumbai visit.
• November 16 to 18, 2026: The royal programme is scheduled to run for three days, with the Earthshot awards on November 17.

What the £1 million prizes are intended to do

Earthshot rewards ideas designed to address environmental problems and gives the winners money to expand their work. A project that already operates in one place may need funding to reach more communities, increase production or develop its technology further.

William established the initiative in 2020, and its first awards were held in 2021. Its programme spans 10 years and draws inspiration from former US president John F. Kennedy's Moonshot challenge to land an astronaut on the Moon and return him safely.

The Mumbai event follows ceremonies in London, Boston, Singapore, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro. Organisers say this year's ceremony will highlight advances in air quality, waste reduction, oceans and nature restoration.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson explained William's purpose for the initiative:

For the prince, Earthshot is ultimately about replacing pessimism with possibility.

The spokesperson said the environmental challenges facing the planet were serious, while pointing to the ingenuity, determination and creativity being used to solve them. The prize's practical focus is on helping those solutions reach more people.

Three finalists show the range of solutions

Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, one of India's major manufacturers of electric vehicles with three wheels, is among the 15 finalists. These vehicles are widely used to move passengers and goods over shorter distances. Electric models run on batteries rather than burning petrol or diesel while being driven, which can help reduce exhaust pollution on busy streets.

Satellites on Fire, based in Argentina, uses artificial intelligence to detect wildfires and send alerts. Artificial intelligence is software trained to recognise patterns in information. In this setting, identifying signs of fire quickly can help response teams learn where a blaze is developing.

Yellowstone to Yukon is a conservation collaboration working to connect a large mountain landscape across North America. Connected habitats give wildlife space to move between areas rather than becoming confined to isolated patches of land.

The three finalists illustrate different approaches: changing everyday transport, responding to environmental danger and protecting the space nature needs. The five winners will be announced at the November 17 ceremony.

Why India is hosting

William pointed to India's technology sector, biodiversity and young population when announcing the country as the 2026 host in February. He also said India had produced more Earthshot finalists and winners than any other country.

The Prince of Wales described two of the country's strengths:

This country is a global technology leader; it's home to 8% of the world's biodiversity.

Biodiversity means the variety of living things, including plants, animals and other organisms. William's comments connected India's capacity to develop technology with the richness of the natural world that environmental projects seek to protect.

Mahindra Last Mile Mobility gives the host country a direct connection to this year's finalist list. Its place alongside projects from Argentina and North America also shows how the awards bring local work into an international competition.

Mumbai is familiar territory for the royal couple. Their 2016 visit included the city as part of a wider journey through India and Bhutan. This return comes a decade later, with a programme centred on environmental innovation and youth leadership rather than a repeat of that earlier itinerary.

Children will have their own awards

William and Catherine will attend the first Children's Earthshot Awards, recognising young people across India who have taken environmental action through the I Can Earthshot Challenge.

The challenge is open to children aged nine to 17. It encourages them to move beyond knowing about environmental problems and take meaningful action in their communities. The children's ceremony creates a place in the Mumbai programme for projects developed by young people as well as those led by companies and established organisations.

Earthshot chief executive Jason Knauf has described local community action, driven by young people's optimism and determination, as vital to repairing the planet. The organisation plans to celebrate that work alongside the main international awards.

Catherine's attendance also brings together two strands of the couple's public work: William's environmental initiative and her interest in children and their development. Her visit to Reggio Emilia earlier this year focused on the Italian city's approach to early childhood teaching.

Catherine returns at a measured pace

Catherine's Mumbai visit follows a gradual return to public duties after cancer treatment. She announced her diagnosis in March 2024, received treatment at the Royal Marsden hospital and said in January 2025 that she was in remission. The type of cancer has not been disclosed.

Remission means the signs and symptoms of cancer have reduced or disappeared. Recovery can still involve changes in energy and health, something Catherine has discussed in her own words.

In an interview published in Country Life, the Princess of Wales described the advice she received in hospital:

I was told in hospital that my recovery would not be linear. There will be good days and bad days, that it will take time.

William said earlier this year that his wife was "edging herself back" into more overseas visits. He also spoke about the demands of royal travel and the need to make sure she was well and rested.

Catherine missed Earthshot ceremonies in Singapore in 2023, Cape Town in 2024 and Rio de Janeiro in 2025. Her absence in 2023 was connected to supporting Prince George during school examinations; the following two ceremonies came after her cancer diagnosis and reduction in public duties.

The Mumbai journey is a larger undertaking than her two days in Italy in May. It combines a long flight with several days of engagements and a major international ceremony.

Film, cricket and music join the environmental programme

Sachin Tendulkar, Alia Bhatt and Rami Malek are among the prominent figures expected at the awards. Earthshot ambassadors Robert Irwin, Nomzamo Mbatha and Simone Ashley are also expected to attend.

British group Take That will perform in India for the first time. Their appearance adds a musical connection between the host country and the United Kingdom to a programme already involving cricket, fashion and cinema.

Take That described the occasion in a statement:

To be performing here for the very first time, after all these years, and alongside the extraordinary people creating a better future for our planet is really special.

The ceremony will also be streamed on Prime Video for the first time, extending access beyond those attending in Mumbai. The combination of familiar performers, sports figures and actors gives the environmental finalists a platform reaching audiences outside specialist scientific or conservation circles.

A royal visit built around Indian participation

The couple's last major tour was to the Caribbean in March 2022. They received warm welcomes from many people, while some images from the visit drew criticism for evoking colonialism. The response brought renewed attention to how royal visits are organised and how host communities are represented.

The announced Mumbai programme places Indian environmental projects, children's achievements and cultural figures at its centre. Its stated themes connect the relationship between Britain and India with work already being carried out by local businesses, communities and young people.

Knauf, Earthshot's chief executive, described the choice of city and the ambition for the gathering:

Mumbai will be our biggest stage yet to tell that story, showing the world India's environmental leadership, creativity, and culture.

The immediate outcome will be concrete: five projects will receive £1 million each, children will be recognised for environmental action, and the finalists will present their work to a gathering drawn from 169 countries' nominations. For Catherine, the same programme marks another step in her return to international royal duties.

Key Points

• William and Catherine will visit Mumbai for three days, with the Earthshot Prize ceremony on November 17, 2026.
• Five winners will each receive £1 million to expand their environmental projects.
• Organisers selected 15 finalists after receiving about 7,000 nominations from 169 countries.
• Finalists include Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, Satellites on Fire and Yellowstone to Yukon.
• The couple will attend the inaugural Children's Earthshot Awards, recognising action by young people in India.
• The visit will be Catherine's first Earthshot ceremony since Boston in 2022 and her first major overseas tour with William since her cancer diagnosis.
• The awards will feature Indian and international celebrities and stream on Prime Video for the first time.