Prince William and Princess Kate celebrate finalist in future king's beloved Earthshot Prize

Prince William and Princess Kate have celebrated one of the finalists in the Earthshot Prize on Instagram – as Prince Harry appeared at the WellChild Awards in London.

The Prince and Princess of Wales shared a post about Ørsted, the Danish energy company which has transformed itself from one of Europe's most coal-intensive utilities into the world's largest offshore wind operator.

The company is among the 15 finalists for the 2026 Earthshot Prize, which was founded by the future king to find and support solutions to some of the world's biggest environmental challenges.

Ørsted has been shortlisted in the Fix Our Climate category after cutting its own Scope 1 and 2 emissions by more than 98 per cent and shifting away from coal, oil and gas towards renewable energy.

The Prince and Princess of Wales' official Instagram account highlighted the company's transformation, drawing attention to its role in the global shift towards clean energy.

The Earthshot Prize describes Ørsted as having transformed from one of Europe's most coal-intensive utilities into a global leader in offshore wind.

The post comes as Prince Harry makes a high-profile appearance of his own in London.

The Duke of Sussex attended the WellChild Awards at the Royal Lancaster Hotel tonight, continuing his long-standing association with the children's charity, of which he has been patron since 2007.

Prince William launched his annual Earthshot Prize on Friday (pictured in June making a speech at the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly in London)

Ørsted has been shortlisted in the Fix Our Climate category after cutting its own Scope 1 and 2 emissions by more than 98 per cent and shifting away from coal, oil and gas towards renewable energy. Pictured: Rasmus Errboe CEO of Ørsted

Prince Harry meets with winner of the Inspirational Child 4-6, Margot Jones-Billington during the WellChild Awards 2026 in London

Harry arrived without his wife Meghan Markle, who has not accompanied him at his recent public engagements since the family returned to Britain last month.

He is due to present the Inspirational Child award for youngsters aged four to six and deliver a speech at the ceremony, which celebrates seriously ill children and those who care for them.

The WellChild Awards have been a regular fixture in Harry's calendar, with the Duke having attended 15 ceremonies since becoming the charity's patron.

In a message released ahead of tonight's event, Harry said: 'It is always a privilege to be part of the WellChild Awards and to meet the extraordinary children, young people, families and professionals whose courage and determination inspire us all.'

He added: 'This year feels particularly special as we celebrate 20 years of the WellChild Nurse programme; two decades of supporting thousands of children and families and helping them to live more of their lives at home.'

The company was known as DONG Energy in 2006, when it was one of Europe's biggest coal users.

Since then, it has sold its oil and gas business, moved away from coal and built more offshore wind farms than any other company in the world, according to the Earthshot Prize.

In Britain, Ørsted operates 12 offshore wind farms which, according to the Earthshot Prize, generate more than seven per cent of the country's electricity – enough renewable power for nearly six million homes.

Prince William and Princess Kate have celebrated one of the finalists in the Earthshot Prize on Instagram

It has installed more than 10GW of offshore wind capacity worldwide, with a further 8.1GW under construction across Europe, the United States and Taiwan, according to the organisation.

Its UK projects include Hornsea 2, which was the world's largest operational offshore wind farm when it was launched.

Hornsea 3, currently under construction, is expected to become the world's largest offshore wind farm when completed in 2030.

The Earthshot Prize said Ørsted's transformation was particularly significant because the company had changed the centre of its business rather than simply adding renewable energy to an existing fossil-fuel operation.

It said the company had continued to invest and generate revenue during the transition, while also working with governments, retraining workers and creating apprenticeships.

The 2026 finalists were announced on Friday, with Ørsted one of three finalists competing for the Fix Our Climate prize.

The other 2026 finalists include organisations working on conservation, waste, clean air and ocean protection, with five winners due to be announced at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Mumbai on November 17.

Each winner will receive £1million to help accelerate and scale their work.

The prize was launched by William in 2020 and is built around five environmental challenges: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate.

This year's finalists were selected from nearly 7,000 nominations spanning 169 countries.