Prince William and his wife Catherine -- the new Prince and Princess of Wales -- visited Sandringham in eastern England
AFP

KEY POINTS

  • Prince William was scheduled to give an address at the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City Wednesday
  • He reportedly canceled his appearance in the wake of Queen Elizabeth II's death
  • The Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit will continue as planned despite his absence

Prince William has canceled a planned visit to New York in the wake of his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II's death, a report says.

The new Prince of Wales, 40, was set to travel to New York City next week for the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit Wednesday but decided to cancel the trip after the Queen died on Sept. 8 at the age of 96, unnamed sources told Page Six.

Prince William originally planned to arrive in Boston, Massachusetts, with his wife Kate Middleton before traveling to the Big Apple alone for the Earthshot Prize event, according to the outlet.

The insiders said the event will continue as planned despite Prince William's absence.

Prince William was previously scheduled to give an address at the summit, which serves as a kickoff for the annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, according to Us Weekly. The event falls within the U.K.'s extended period of mourning, which King Charles III had expanded for an additional week after the Queen's death.

Prince William was not included on the list of confirmed speakers for the summit that the Earthshot Prize and Bloomberg Philanthropies announced Tuesday, the outlet noted.

The upcoming Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit "aims to drive impact around systems-changing climate solutions and amplify The Earthshot Prize's call to accelerate progress to repair our planet through collaboration and bold innovation," a press release says.

Prince William was set to host the summit with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The event coincides with the city's Climate Week and the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

"Accelerating the world's climate progress requires us to take urgent, ambitious action from every angle," Bloomberg said in the release. "As global leaders get set to gather in New York, the Bloomberg team is working with our partners Prince William and The Earthshot Prize to showcase the most innovative climate solutions and help them spread more quickly. We've been glad to support The Earthshot Prize from the beginning, and we look forward to helping even more climate leaders get their promising ideas off the ground."

Prince William and Middleton's trip to Boston would have been their third visit to the U.S. together. They previously traveled to California after their tour of Canada in 2011, just a few months after they tied the knot.

The Prince and Princess of Wales' last visit to the U.S. was nearly a decade ago when they visited New York in 2014.

Last month, Prince William announced via Twitter that he and Middleton will be heading to Boston in December for the second Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.

"In 2022, we're back and bringing Earthshot to the USA where we'll award the next five winners of the Prize," the heir to the British throne said in a video.

The video cut to Red Sox All-Star Xander Bogaerts from the home of the iconic baseball team at Fenway Park.

"And we will be doing it right here in Boston," Bogaerts said from the outfield.

Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's 10-year goal of landing on the moon, known as "Moonshot," the Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize founded by Prince William and the Royal Foundation in 2020.

Prince William and the rest of the royal family will attend the state funeral for Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey in London Monday.

It will be followed by a Committal Service at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the Queen will be laid to rest.

Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry
WINDSOR, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 10: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wave to crowd on the long Walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022. Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images/Getty Images