Prince William leaves business owner in tears: 'I don't have words'

William's appearance at a ceremony honouring the Earthshot nominees on Monday sparked an outpouring from a business owner.

The Prince of Wales wore a tie made from plastic bottles created by the Italian brand Wilmok during the ceremony.

The founder of Wilmok admitted he was moved to tears by the gesture.

A post on the company's business page on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: "Was not really sure why our Twitter traffic was up.

"As a small business owner, I am literally in tears. Thank you!"

They continued: "I don't have words, thank you so much!"

In a separate post, the Wilmok founder wrote: "Christmas came early this year."

It comes as Prince William issued a rallying call during an important speech on climate change at the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards.

Prince William said: "The last year has been one of great change and even greater challenge.

"A year in which the effects of the climate crisis have become too visible to be ignored.

"And a year that has left so many feeling defeated, their hope dwindling."

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The royal added: "However, as we have seen tonight, hope does remain.

"The light of optimism is burning bright in our Earthshot finalists."

The Prince of Wales also hailed Singapore as a fantastic host for his awards.

He said: "We express our deepest gratitude to Singapore for hosting our third Earthshot Prize ceremony.

"Few places demonstrate so well how the natural and urban worlds can co-exist. A great city leveraging technology and innovation to help repair and regenerate our planet."