Prince William skips travelling to New York amid Harry's successful tour

The Earthshot Prize, founded by the Prince of Wales in 2010, recognises innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges.

However, instead of travelling to New York City for Climate Week to reveal the finalists at the 2024 Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, Prince William announced the finalists in a pre-recorded video.

It comes as his estranged brother Prince Harry is currently in New York supporting his patronages and issues he cares deeply about.

The Duke of Sussex arrived in the Big Apple on Sunday for his whirlwind solo visit, while his wife, Meghan Markle, stayed home.

In William's video, he described the people on the shortlist for the prize as “leading the way in solving some of the most urgent environmental challenges”.

He added: “Today, we celebrate the incredible achievement, unwavering dedication and urgent optimism that drives our fourth class of Earthshot innovators.

"The passion of these Finalists is a testament to what can be achieved when we tap into the enormous creativity, ingenuity, and optimism of communities around the world."

Finalists of the prize include creators of an earthquake-resilient brick made with 75 per cent lower carbon emissions than traditional clay-fired bricks, an organisation that has saved saiga antelopes from extinction and a company that has converted crop waste into a leather alternative.

Billionaire and global advisor to Earthshot Prize winners, Michael Bloomberg, addressed the 2024 Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, but William did not attend in person due to other commitments in the UK.

The prince attended the summit in 2023, but not the year before.

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Earthshot has five categories: protect and restore nature, clean our air, revive our oceans, build a waste-free world, and fix our climate.

This year’s finalists were selected from nearly 2,500 nominations spanning 139 countries - the largest-ever nomination pool.

The 15 Finalists hail from six continents and include several firsts for The Prize, including the first finalists from France, Ghana, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Nepal.

The five winners of the award will be announced at the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa on November 6.