Prince William described theQueen as “one of life's optimists” in a moving tribute to his late grandmother as he arrived in the US.
The Prince and Princess of Waleslanded in Boston, Massachusetts, for the Earthshot Prize awards – their initiative to honour outstanding contributions to environmentalism.
The trip, however, has been put at risk of being overshadowed by a race row involving William’s godmother,Lady Susan Hussey.
Lady Hussey was forced to resignafter she quizzed a prominent black charity boss about where she "really came from" during a major Buckingham Palace reception. Prince William, 40,backed his godmother’s decision to step aside.
Now, upon arriving in the US for a tour with Princess Kate, 40, William took the opportunity to pay tribute to his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
In a statement, William said: “Catherine and I are delighted to be back in the United States and are extremely grateful to Governor Baker and The First Lady of Massachusetts for their warm welcome into Boston.
“On this, our first overseas visit since the death of my grandmother, I would like to thank the people of Massachusetts and particularly of Boston for their many tributes paid to the late Queen. She remembered her 1976 bicentennial visit with great fondness.
“My grandmother was one of life's optimists. And so am I. That is why last year we launched the Earthshot Prize with the ambition to create a truly global platform to inspire hope and urgent optimism as we look to save the future of our planet.”
On the US tour, the Prince and Princess of Wales had to put on brave faces as they sat courtside to watch an NBA game between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat – where they were met with a smattering of boos.
William and Kate are set to continue the trip and in the coming days will visit Greentown Labs, a tech hub which has been nurturing climate pioneers for more than a decade.
Greentown is believed to be the largest climate technology start-up incubator in North America, having supported more than 500 companies since it was founded in 2011.
They will also tour Roca, a non-profit organisation focusing on young people at risk of becoming involved in urban violence.
Meanwhile, it is thought William has no plans to visit his younger brotherPrince Harry while in the US, according to royal expert Jennie Bond.
Speaking on GB News, she said: "There are absolutelyno plans for the two brothers to meet.”
Jennie added that there was a divide in the US between royal watchers who favour The Prince and Princess of Wales – and those who support Harry, 38, and 41 year old Meghan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
She said: “There is this rivalry going on as well between Meghan and Harry and the William and Catherine crowd. And a lot of the publicity is about the sibling rivalry, and people are interested in will they meet."
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