Which Iconic American Figure Has Always Inspired Prince William?

Prince William recently held a Ted Talk to discuss the importance of repairing the planet's environmental issues. The prince believes that it is most crucial that we take the necessary steps immediately to tackle climate change. He explained, "If we do not act in this decade, the damage that we have done will be irreversible. And the effects felt not just by future generations but by all of us alive today." He continued, "And what's more, this damage will not be felt equally by everyone. It is the most vulnerable, those with the fewest resources and those who've done the least to cause climate change who will be impacted the most."

The Duke of Cambridge is taking action by leading the Earthshot Prize, which, according to its website, is a campaign "designed to incentivize change and help to repair our planet over the next ten years." Prince William revealed in his Ted Talk that the plan is to do this through "a set of ambitious objectives for the planet, the Earthshot goals seek to protect and restore nature, clean the air, revive oceans, build a waste-free world and fix the climate."

The recipients of the Earthshot Prize will receive about $1.4 million at a ceremony attended by the prince at a palace in London. William and his father, Prince Charles, have long been passionate about saving the environment. But it was another man, an American icon, who inspired Prince William in particular.

Prince William has revealed that it was former American President John F. Kennedy who is the inspiration behind the prince's Earthshot initiative. During his recent Ted Talk, William shared that he has always been fascinated by President Kennedy since he was a boy. This was particularly due to the president's courageous Moonshot mission, which, as the prince pointed out on his Earthshot Prize website, "united millions of people around an organizing goal to put man on the moon and catalyzed the development of new technology."

In his Ted Talk, Prince William explained more about how JFK influenced him, noting: "I've long been inspired by President John F. Kennedy's 1961 mission to put a man on the moon within a decade. He named it the Moonshot. It seemed crazy. We'd only just launched the first satellite. Putting a man on the moon that quickly seemed impossible." Yet William went on to discuss how Kennedy was able to influence others "to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills. In taking that giant leap for mankind, the team behind the Moonshot united millions of people around the world — that this crazy ambition wasn't so crazy after all." 

The prince hopes to emulate JFK's energy and drive to lead others in saving the planet during what he calls "the most consequential period in history."