Prince William and Kate Middleton
SWANSEA, WALES - SEPTEMBER 27: Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales leave St Thomas Church, which has been has been redeveloped to provide support to vulnerable people, during their visit to Wales on September 27, 2022 in Swansea, Wales. Chris Jackson/Getty Images/IBTimes

KEY POINTS

  • Prince William and Kate Middleton were welcomed by Wycliffe "Wyc" Grousbeck at the game Wednesday night
  • The couple sat with Massachusetts Governor-Elect Maura Healey and Celtics legend Thomas Sanders
  • The Prince and Princess of Wales were flashed on the Jumbotron as fans cheered for them

Prince William and Kate Middleton had some fun during their visit to Boston, Massachusetts, by watching a basketball game.

The Prince and Princess of Wales surprised basketball fans when they appeared at the Boston Celtics' game against the Miami Heat Wednesday night.

The couple was welcomed to the TD Garden by Wycliffe "Wyc" Grousbeck, lead owner of the Boston Celtics, before sitting courtside, Page Six reported.

Prince William and Middleton were accompanied by Massachusetts Governor-Elect Maura Healey and Celtics legend Thomas "Satch" Sanders.

The royal couple was flashed on the Jumbotron as fans cheered for them during the game.

Prince William and Princess Kate shared via Twitter photos from the game, which the Celtics won. "The @EarthshotPrize taking over at the home of the @celtics!" they wrote in the caption.

The royals arrived in Boston Wednesday ahead of the second annual Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony, which will take place Friday. The initiative was founded by Prince William to help tackle some of the planet's most pressing environmental challenges.

There were nods to the arrival of the Earthsot Prize during Wednesday's match, including the Celtics' tradition of recognizing a "Hero Among Us" during each game.

The hero recognized at the game Wednesday was Ollie Perraul, a 15-year-old climate activist from Easthampton, Massachusetts. She has been a leading member of the Youth Climate Leadership Program since she was 11. She is also the founder and director of Youth Climate Action Now.

Prince William and Middleton also reportedly met representatives of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, which provides grassroots programming and strategic funding to local organizations serving at-risk or at-need folk.

The royals were also eager to learn more about the "Curbside Care" mobile unit, which partners with Boston Medical Center to provide comprehensive, streamlined care to mothers and infants in the first six weeks of life.

The Princess of Wales has dedicated her charity work to early childhood development and mental health. She recently published an op-ed highlighting the "importance of the first five years of life."

"We now know that in the first five years of our lives, our brains develop faster than at any other time and that the impact of those years is hugely significant. It is the way we develop through our experiences, relationships and interactions at that very young age that shapes everything from our ability to form relationships and succeed at work, to our mental and physical health as adults," Middleton wrote.

Before the Earthshot Prize ceremony, Middleton will visit the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University Friday, People reported.

She is expected to learn great practices that she could apply to her own Royal Foundation and Centre for Early Childhood.

Kate Middleton and Prince William
CAMBRIDGE, ENGLAND - JUNE 23: Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge smile during a visit to housing charity Jimmy's in Cambridge, England, Thursday, June 23, 2022. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Jimmy's to hear about the crucial support they offer to individuals experiencing homelessness. Frank Augstein - WPA Pool/Getty Images