What do Emma Watson, Robert Irwin and Prince William have in common? No, they’re not starring in a wholesome new reality show (although we’d certainly watch it). They’re united by a shared passion for protecting the planet.
This week, the actress and the Australian conservationist have been lending their star power to two of Prince William’s most significant environmental initiatives as London Climate Action Week unfolds across the city.
On Monday, Watson joined Prince William, Benedict Cumberbatch and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore at a business forum for The Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife, an organisation founded by William in 2014 to combat the illegal wildlife trade and poaching.
During the event, Watson participated in a discussion about the role businesses, brands and storytelling can play in protecting the natural world.
“Storytelling is really powerful,” Watson said on stage. “The story that you tell as a brand, and the transparency you have and the way that you talk around these issues, it matters, it matters to young people.”
The appearance marked a rare public outing for the Harry Potter alum, who has long been involved in environmental and social advocacy. Watson previously supported William’s Earthshot Prize, presenting the Fix Our Climate award at the inaugural ceremony in 2021.
Meanwhile, Robert Irwin has become one of the most visible faces of William’s environmental work. The 22-year-old conservationist and television presenter serves as a global ambassador for the Earthshot Prize, the Prince of Wales’ ambitious decade-long initiative designed to identify and fund innovative solutions to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.
On June 23, Irwin travelled alongside Prince William on a specially branded green London bus to Guildhall for the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly, an event celebrating the programme’s finalists and winners during London Climate Action Week.
The Earthshot Prize, which launched in 2020, awards funding across five categories aimed at repairing and restoring the planet. Since its inception, more than 6,700 nominations have been reviewed globally, with millions of dollars distributed to environmental innovators tackling everything from pollution and climate change to biodiversity loss and ocean conservation.
Speaking at the assembly, Prince William said he was “more optimistic than ever” about the future, citing the tangible impact already achieved by Earthshot finalists. The Prince argued that the world no longer has time for incremental change, urging leaders to scale solutions that are already proving successful.
For Irwin, the partnership feels particularly aligned. Like his late father, Steve Irwin, the Australian icon has built his public profile around conservation and wildlife protection, making him a natural ally for William’s environmental agenda.
By bringing together influential voices from entertainment, activism, science and conservation, it seems Prince William is attempting to broaden the conversation around environmental action beyond politics and policy alone.
With the next Earthshot Prize ceremony set to take place in Mumbai later this year, and climate issues continuing to dominate the global agenda, it seems likely this won’t be the last time we’ll see Prince William surrounded by some very famous environmental allies.
