Prince William Stuns Fans By Joining a Casual Game of Cricket in Front of Buckingham Palace

In 2020, Prince William announced the Earthshot Prize, a £50 million ($66 million), ten-year initiative tackling some of the world's most pressing environmental issues. This year, the Prize heads to Mumbai for its annual awards ceremony, which will crown winners in five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. To celebrate the Prize's destination (it has been previously held in London, Boston, Singapore, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro), Prince William leaned into his sporty side with a friendly game of cricket on the mall of Buckingham Palace.

The Prince of Wales welcomed cricketers from both the U.K. and India "to recognize the important role sport can play in bringing people together and inspiring positive action," the caption read. The Prince tried his hand at ten balls, and was also seen sharing smiles, laughs and handshakes with the players as the public looked on.

The Earthshot Prize Summit & Awards Night will take place on November 16 and 17, awarding £1 million ($1.3 million) to five winners to advance their research. It will be streamed on Prime Video, with prominent filmmaker, entrepreneur and producer Karan Johar serving as the host. He is joined by the likes of Rami Malek, Simone Ashley and Robert Irwin. Prince William has flown solo the last several years, but whether or not Princess Catherine joins him—her last appearance was in Boston in 2022—remains to be announced.