PRINCE WILLIAM Mission for his kids

Refreshed after a break thanks to his children's autumn half-term UK school holidays, Prince William will be back to work with a bang as he jets off to Singapore for the 2023 Earthshot Prize.

- Kylie Walters

As the Prince of Wales steps out on the stage to announce the award winners on November 7, his time off with his kids has only served to strengthen his resolve to use his unique influence to achieve his ambitious goal of saving the planet.

While the problem of climate change can feel insurmountable, The Earthshot Prize is a visionary initiative aimed at inspiring and rewarding innovative solutions to the planet's most pressing environmental challenges. The 41-year-old founded Earthshot in 2020, with the first ceremony being held in London in 2021.

It was a project born out of a promise to his little ones so that William could "look my children in the eye and say that I did my bit", he explained at the time. Three years later, he is still trying to make them proud.

"Our planet is the only home we have and we must think big and dream bigger if we are to protect it," William wrote in the forward for a new book for children, The Earthshot Prize: A Handbook for Dreamers and Thinkers.

The prince, who is a self-professed "stubborn optimist", is looking for five champions each year who are changing the world.

"This is a big task we are about to take on and I think we need heroes," William has said. "We need those people who really have got vision, who've got ambition, energy to step up, come forward and give us solutions."