Royals get up-close look at green innovations outside Boston
SOMERVILLE, Mass. (AP) — The Prince and Princess of Wales got a first-hand look at some groundbreaking innovations during a visit to a green technology startup incubator in suburban Boston on Thursday as the royal couple looks to foster new ways to address climate change.
William and Kate, who are making their first overseas visit since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, were welcomed by hundreds of cheering onlookers as they entered Greentown Labs in Somerville.
They were greeted by CEO Emily Reichert, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne as well as Joe Curtatone, the former mayor of the city just north of Boston who is now the president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council. William wore a gray suit with a burgundy sweater. Kate wore a burgundy suit by Roland Mouret, with a blouse by Burberry and earrings by Daniella Draper.
Since its 2011 founding, Greentown, the largest climate technology startup incubator in North America, has supported more than 500 companies that have created more than 9,000 jobs.
The three-day visit started Wednesday with a reception at Boston City Hall and a trip to a Boston Celtics basketball game. It culminates Friday with the awarding of the prince’s signature Earthshot Prize, a global competition aimed at finding new ways to protect the planet and tackle climate change.
The visit also comes amid an uproar back home over an 83-year-old honorary member of the royal household who reportedly asked the Black chief executive of an east London women’s refuge where she “really came from” after she told the older woman that she was British. Some said the incident was an example of wider issues of racism at Buckingham Palace.
On Thursday at Greentown, the royal couple chatted to Shara Ticku, CEO of c16 Biosciences, a company developing decarbonized alternatives...