Prince William has stepped into the climate spotlight, echoing his father’s long-standing warnings about the planet’s tipping points and ruffling a few corporate feathers along the way.
Speaking at the UN climate conference in Belém, Brazil, the future king chastised Britain’s biggest companies for “falling short” and urged them to “step up to the plate,” calling for courage in tackling climate change.
Critics, including well-connected board members, grumbled that William is out of touch with the pressures on business, warning that the heir seems keen to swap his future role as head of the Church of England for Evangelist-in-Chief for Net Zero.
Yet William’s climate mission aligns with government policy, with ministers, past and present, embracing ambitious carbon-reduction targets.
Even Bill Gates has suggested that while climate change disproportionately affects the poor, it is unlikely to trigger humanity’s demise a more measured perspective than royal apocalyptic rhetoric.
The political landscape could complicate matters. Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has already criticized the King for his climate stance, and a Farage-led government might clash sharply with the Crown over environmental advocacy.
Observers note that when William ascends the throne, his generation’s ethos to “bring your whole self to work” could test the traditional limits of royal neutrality, particularly if ministers expect silent compliance on politically charged issues.
