The Prince and Princess of Wales will end their three-day trip to Boston on a high note, landing amid a palace racism row before being blindsided by a trailer for a Sussex documentary.
A meeting with US President Joe Biden and a star-studded presentation of the Prince William Champion of the Earth award were planned to cap off what could be a bumpy few days.
Billie Eilish will lead a line-up that includes Annie Lennox, Ellie Goulding and Beyoncé proteges Chloe x Halle at Boston’s MGM Concert Hall at Friday’s Earthshot ceremony, which will conclude the Welshman’s first visit to the US in eight years.
However, the headlines and TV announcements were inevitably about the royal racist dispute engulfing William’s godmother and former maid of honor, Susan Hussey, which again led to the monarchy being accused of institutional racism and about That Sussex Trailer.
Lady Hussey resigns from her honorary duties as William and Kate fly to Boston after Buckingham Palace made ‘unacceptable and deeply regrettable’ comments when they asked black charity founder Ngozi Fulani ‘where she really came from’ .palace reception
Then, on their second day in the US, a one-minute trailer for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s upcoming Netflix documentary series was released online, featuring photos of Meghan apparently in tears and a beaming Kate.
As far as the Welsh are concerned, a Kensington Palace spokesperson reiterated comments they made prior to the visit, saying the couple will not be “distracted” by other things this week and that their focus will be on meeting Boston’s community and locals.
But reports from people on the ground who have been with the couple suggest that could be a challenge. The Times suggested the Sussexes had “deliberately sabotaged” the visit, saying the mood within the Welsh camp was one of “subordination, even entertainment, rather than anger”. The Daily Mail called it a “declaration of war” by the Sussexes. Meanwhile, Sussex sources reportedly put provocative timing squarely on Netflix’s door.
Braving the cold and rain to greet them in Boston, the prince and princess also visited budding environmental tech entrepreneurs at Greentown Labs and the very frigid Boston waterfront threatened by rising sea levels. They also visited Roca, a nonprofit that focuses on urban youth violence, and sat courtside at an NBA game between the Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat. The princess also visited the Harvard Child Development Center.
At the Earthshot Awards, now in its second year, 15 finalists are vying for £1 million each in five category winners. They include a clean cookstove in Kenya and a bubble barrier in the Netherlands that prevents plastic from entering the ocean. First-time UK finalists are Notpla, which makes seaweed and plant-based packaging, and Low Carbon Materials, which uses plastic waste to make zero-carbon concrete blocks.
Harry and Meghan are not expected to attend Friday’s environmental awards ceremony. However, they will fly to the East Coast next week for the Ripples of Hope Human Rights Awards ceremony in New York on Tuesday, where they were feted for speaking out about the alleged racism they experienced as royals.