John F. Kennedy's Grandson Has A Message For Prince William Ahead Of US Visit
While the United States does not have a traditional monarchy the way the United Kingdom does, several famous families similarly hold power in the public eye. According to Wicked Local, the Kennedys are a close example of royalty in America. The Kennedy family has been a staple in American politics for decades. Joe Kennedy, patriarch of the brood, was an ambassador to the United Kingdom; his children — John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Edward Kennedy, specifically — continued the family's political legacy (per PBS).
Aside from the similarities in power and Joe's ambassador connection to Britain, the Kennedys and the Windsors have shared moments together over the years (via Biography). When then-President John F. Kennedy and his wife Jackie Kennedy Onassis were visiting England in 1961, Queen Elizabeth II hosted them for dinner. Both families have known each other socially for decades.
Now, the current generation of Kennedys and Windsors are coming together for a common cause, and JFK's grandson couldn't be more excited about his forthcoming meeting with Prince William, Duke of Cambridge.
JFK's grandson is ready to welcome Prince William to Boston
Jack Schlossberg, John F. Kennedy's grandson, couldn't be more excited that Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is bringing his Earthshot Prize award ceremony across the Atlantic Ocean in December 2022 (via Tatler). The Kennedy family has a special connection to the award.
The Earthshot Prize was founded by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2020. It aims to highlight and celebrate efforts to repair our environment during a time of climate crisis, awarding winners £1 million to help their cause (per the City of Boston). This will be the second time the ceremony has been held, and the first time it will be on American soil, as it is scheduled to take place in Boston.
The prize's name is actually inspired by JFK's "Moonshot," when the United States first safely landed an astronaut on the moon, according to the organization's Instagram page. The Earthshot Prize will be partnering with the JFK Library and Boston's mayor Michelle Wu for the December ceremony.
Schlossberg took to Twitter to share his excitement about Prince William's forthcoming visit. He lovingly penned, "Earth shot baby" in one tweet, clearly proud of his grandfather's legacy. He followed this with another tweet with three "rock on" emojis addressing the origin of the Earthshot Prize's name (via Twitter).
Like Moonshot, William's Earthshot also intends to act within a decade
Caroline Kennedy, Jack Schlossberg's mother, is also enthusiastic about the upcoming royal visit. "It is a great tribute to President Kennedy that The Earthshot Prize will partner with the JFK Library Foundation to host the 2022 ceremony in Boston and inspire a new generation with the possibility of a sustainable future," Kennedy wrote in a press release (via Twitter).
John F. Kennedy's "Moonshot" and Prince William's Earthshot have more in common than their names. Both focus on a timeframe of 10 years. According to the Duke of Cambridge, this next decade represents a "tipping point." "Either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet, or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve," William wrote on the organization's website.
At the December 2022 ceremony, five finalists will receive a £1 million prize, per Town & Country. Five winners will be chosen each year for 10 years. Each Earthshot Prize winner will represent one of five categories: "Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate."
Like Kennedy's famous program, William believes that collaboration is key. "Putting a man on the moon that quickly seemed impossible," the duke said during a July 2021 Ted Talk. "The team behind the Moonshot united millions of people around the world — that this crazy ambition wasn't so crazy after all."
Prince William is connecting with winners beyond the awards ceremony
Prince William and Catherine Middleton made an Earthshot-related stop during their spring 2022 Caribbean tour when they visited Coral Vita in Grand Bahama. The coral farm is owned by Sam Teicher and Gator Halpern, winners of the 2021 Earthshot Prize in the Revive Our Oceans Category, per The Earthshot Prize. Teicher and Halpern have used their prize to build a new "Earthshot Happy Tank" as well as to plant 10,000 new corals. The team is also planning to expand their coral farming operations globally.
Even before Prince William announced the 2021 Earthshot winners, Teicher and Halpern were energized by the process. "This is an absolutely incredible community," they told People. "We're already thinking about the synergies that exist between us all and the different partners within the Earthshot community." They also felt very hopeful about the impact the awards would have over the next decade. "There's more to come once the prize is announced and it's 10 years into the future that they're keeping to this," they said. "I know from sitting here in Grand Bahama there's already good progress being made because of Prince William."