Prince William reveals what 'helps him sleep at night' - and he shares the same hopeful message with his children
The Prince of Wales has talked about how the Earthshot Prize's work helps to quell some of his 'environmental anxiety'
Emma Shacklock
Some swear by a cup of herbal tea. Others might nod off to the radio. For Prince William, it's the thought of making a difference that helps him sleep at night. Speaking candidly at a business forum for The Royal Foundation's United For Wildlife on 22nd June, he spoke about how his work to protect the environment goes some way towards keeping anxiety "at bay".
The event was held as part of London Climate Action Week and the Prince of Wales reflected on the impact of his Earthshot Prize.
"For me, it keeps my environmental anxiety at bay, because I can actually see some of the things we are doing are bringing change," he explained. "We can do this. There are actually tangible benefits, and it helps me sleep at night."
During his talk, he spoke passionately of the environmental award which he launched in 2020 alongside Sir David Attenborough. When the pair first unveiled the initiative, they laid out their mission plan, revealing they would give out £50M across 10 years to inventors and pioneers working to solve environmental issues across the planet.
Now in its sixth year, William touched on the "sweaty nights" that he’ll be having as that first Earthshot decade is nearly up - and what the plan is next. Speaking to former Vice President of the United States (and long time climate campaigner) Al Gore, William also said, "We have some debating to do. It is going to keep us on our toes."
The future King urged business leaders to do more, proving that leadership starts with oneself.
He told a group made up of some of the world’s largest businesses, including Meta and Amazon, "Many of you can be more ambitious and courageous in what you do for the planet and for the environment."
"Be the leader you wanted to be when you were growing up, not the one you are in the business right now. Touch into what you were when you were a child and what you wanted to see in the world, and you know, bring those values to light as a CEO," William continued.
This appeal is something that is incredibly personal to the Prince of Wales, who has previously revealed that he shares messages of hope about changing the planet with Prince George, Charlotte and Louis.
During a conversation with Christiane Amanpour at The Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly in late 2025, William spoke about the importance of positivity. He said, "You have to provide leadership and a vision that there’s good things to come and that it’s not all negative."
"For my children, particularly, knowing the planet’s going to be in a healthier, better state because of the brilliant people in this room is something that I love to tell them when they go to bed," he added.
Prince William's father King Charles has been advocating for the environment for decades - even before it became such a mainstream topic. And it clearly rubbed off on his son, and now, it seems that the future of conservation and environmentalism might just pass down to William’s children, too.
