Prince William says father Charles and grandfather Philip inspired him to take care of nature

Prince William said his father and grandfather inspired him to spend time outdoors as a child, being surrounded by nature and often going on adventures

Prince William has credited Prince Charles and grandfather Prince Philip with sparking his search for solutions to save the natural world after constantly surrounding him with adventures.

During a new podcast hosted by award-winning actress Cate Blanchett, the Duke of Cambridge said he wanted to focus on growing the winners of his Earthshot Prize environmental competition and wished for more solutions to repair the planet, led by women and indigenous communities from the 2022 nominee.

When asked about his interest in nature, he said Sir David Attenborough’s documentaries showed there was a “bigger world out there to explore” when he was young.

He added: “And I think my grandfather, my father, both of whom have had a deep passion and interest in this field for many years, kind of piqued my interest and curiosity.

“Growing up, I was surrounded by this adventure and this idea of ​​exploring the garden and being outside. I would spend hours climbing trees, digging ditches and all kinds of things – hiding in caves and all sorts of things around the garden.

“So I loved being out in the wild and in the wet.”

The Duke said his appreciation for the outdoors was “sparked” by his father and grandfather’s “passion” for it, and described childhood memories of climbing trees, digging trenches and being out in the “wilderness and in the wet”.

William chatted on Audible’s Climate of Change podcast.

When Blanchett said he seemed “quite hopeful” that we could “work our way out of what appears to be a crisis,” the Duke responded, quoting Earthshot Board of Trustees Christiana Figueres and saying he felt like a ” stubborn optimist”.

He added: “She has given me a lot of hope that this can happen and I believe in it and I see it with my own eyes. It’s really inspiring, it’s really hopeful. And I believe that we can make great progress.

“Just like the Earthshot is a team game for me, and if you know Cate, I’ve said that to the members of the prize council, to all of you, it’s about everyone contributing and helping and supporting what we’re trying to do – we’re all in there together.

The Earthshot Awards opening ceremony was held at Alexandra Palace in London last October and among those walking the event’s ‘green carpet’ were Harry Potter star Emma Watson, who wore a wedding dress from 10 dresses by Oxfam , and Dame Emma Thompson.

At the ceremony, a prize of £1million was awarded to each of the five category winners – protecting and restoring nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a zero-waste world; and fix our climate – and the organizers have said that if their ideas are implemented by 2030, it would improve life for everyone.

Nominations for the 2022 Earthshot Awards, which will be held in the US, have opened but the Duke said they have yet to decide which city will host it and he is keen to get a broader representation of the nominees .