On Wednesday, Prince William got a chance to have some fun with the media. During a visit to the Guildford headquarters of an Earthshot Prize finalist, William joined a group of schoolchildren in spraying pond water outdoors, and a bit of it got on the journalists who gathered to watch.
According to Hello!, William was holding a syringe to test out a water DNA sequencer by NatureMetrics when the company’s founder Kat Bruce suggested they aim the extra water at the media. “Oh nearly, so nearly,” William said when the water fell short of its targets. “This is the best day of my life—great fun.”
The prince did deny any ill intent. “It wasn’t my idea!” he said, per the Daily Mail. “I could just claim I was giving in.”
NatureMetrics, which was founded by Bruce in 2014 was a finalist in the Eartshot Prize’s “Protect and Restore Nature” category, and it was spotlighted at the prize’s annual awards ceremony in South Africa in November. William and the local schoolchildren were also joined by Big Manny, a TikTok creator who focuses on science.
During the tour, William put on a white coat, but warned that he wasn’t an expert. “Don’t get too technical or I won’t understand anything you are saying,” he said, per Hello!. He sat down at one of the company’s lab stations to see their technology in action, but he pointed out that the scientists around him had been given more to do. “You are doing eight at a time. They only trusted me with one!”
Wednesday’s engagements were the third in a series of busy days for the prince. On Monday, he was joined by wife Kate Middleton during the UK ceremony honoring International Holocaust Remembrance Day, where she reunited with two survivors she previously photographed. On Tuesday, he headed to Cornwall to see tenant farmers on the land belonging to the Duchy he inherited from his father.
One of those farmers spoke to People after her outdoor meeting with William. “Having met Prince William on the farm today, I can see how important the Duchy is to him, and also that he is committed to a sustainable future,” Heather Gorringe told the magazine. “You only have to look at what he’s doing with the Earthshot Prize to know he’s on that route,” she continued.
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