Prince William Visits Recent Earthshot Prize Finalist NatureMetrics Alongside Schoolchildren: 'Best Day of My Life'

Prince William is paying a visit to one of his Earthshot Prize’s most recent group of finalists.

The Prince of Wales, 42, made a trip to Guildford on Wednesday, Jan. 29 to stop by NatureMetrics, a 2024 Earthshot Prize finalist that enables companies to measure and report on their impact on nature and ecosystems. During the visit, Prince William giggled as he squirted pond water at journalists alongside schoolchildren, declaring it "the best day of my life — great fun," according to Hello!.

According to Kensington Palace, NatureMetrics uses its unique technology to revolutionize the scale and accessibility of nature data collection through environmental DNA (eDNA), helping commercial and conservation organizations make more informed choices to better protect and maintain biodiverse ecosystems.

Related: Prince William Unveils Finalists for the Fourth Earthshot Prize in New Video: 'True Inspirations'

NatureMetrics was a finalist in the Protect and Restore Nature category at the fourth iteration of William’s Earthshot Prize Awards, held in Cape Town, South Africa last November. Since the company became a finalist, NatureMetrics has secured a $25 million investment, raised with support from The Earthshot Prize’s investment platform Launchpad, according to Kensington Palace.

During his visit Jan. 29, Prince William watched a demonstration of NatureMetrics’ eDNA sampling process at its onsite lake, and was joined by local schoolchildren who are learning about The Earthshot Prize as part of their studies. Prince William was also joined by science communicator Big Manny, a 27-year-old science-first content creator and music artist, who is collaborating with The Earthshot Prize to introduce its environmental solutions to young people around the world.

While collecting samples, NatureMetrics founder Dr. Kat Bruce jokingly suggested the Prince of Wales and the schoolchildren aim water at the media, to which William replied, "Great idea," according to Hello!.

Elsewhere in the science-packed visit, William cheekily said, "Don't get too technical or I won't understand anything you are saying," according to the outlet.

Prince William then visited the laboratories where all samples are analyzed and viewed a demonstration of NatureMetrics’ Intelligence platform, a customer platform where biodiversity health insights can be viewed.

NatureMetrics currently has over 600 clients operating in more than 110 countries across multiple industries. Kensington Palace said its recent $25 million investment will enhance the company’s nature data platform, expand its international reach and scale its solution to meet the increasing data requirements of its corporate and conservation customers.

Related: Prince William Speaks Nine African Languages During Speech at Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony

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Since its formation in 2020, Prince William’s Earthshot Prize and its annual awards have been a cornerstone of the future king’s royal work and his commitment to environmentalism. The Prize discovers, accelerates and scales groundbreaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet by 2030, and is divided into five categories: the aforementioned Protect and Restore Nature; Clean Our Air; Revive Our Oceans; Build a Waste-Free World; and Fix Our Climate. The first Earthshot Prize Awards were held in London in 2021, followed by Boston in 2022, Singapore in 2023 and Cape Town in 2024.

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