Prince William Visits Monaco to Warn of Urgent Need to Protect the Ocean

Yahoo

09-06-2025

Prince William has made a solo trip to Monaco to deliver a keynote speech on the need to protect the ocean. The Prince of Wales was welcomed by the country's Prince Albert as he arrived this morning to attend the Blue Economy and Finance Forum. William was invited to the event in his capacity as founder of the Earthshot Prize, an initiative that has seen him step up his visibility as a leader on environmental issues.
'Put simply: the ocean is under enormous threat, but it can revive itself. But, only if together, we act now,' the Prince said at Monaco's event venue the Grimaldi Forum. 'Let us act together with urgency and optimism while we still have the chance.'
William's Earthshot Prize was designed to encourage optimism over what can be done to protect the planet. Every year, it awards £1 million each in prize money to solutions across five categories. One of those categories is Revive Our Oceans, and William was joined at the event in Monaco by several Earthshot finalists and winners.
A royal aide described William's appearance at the forum today as part of his work as a global statesman. While members of the royal family cannot be political, they are able to raise awareness around humanitarian issues and subjects of national and global concern. Just like his father King Charles and his grandfather Prince Philip, Prince William feels passionately about the importance of using his platform to speak out about the environment. An aide previously disclosed that William started the Earthshot Prize because he wanted to be able to look his children in the eye and say he had done everything he could to fight climate change.
Ahead of the Prince's appearance at the Monaco forum, which took place on World Oceans Day and ahead of a UN Ocean conference which starts Monday, Kensington Palace released a video of William in conversation with Sir David Attenborough. The celebrated naturalist, who has recently made a film about the Ocean, told the Prince of his concerns over damage to the ocean floor.
"What we have done to the deep ocean floor is just unspeakably awful,' Sir David said. 'I mean, if you did anything remotely like it on land, everybody would be up in arms. If this film does anything, if it just shifts public awareness, it'll be very, very important. And I only hope that people who see it will recognize that something must be done before we destroy this great treasure.'
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