Matt Damon's Royal Connection: Why He Was at Events Tied to Prince Harry and Prince William This Week

Mar. 15, 2025

(Left) Prince Harry at the One805Live Fall Concert in Carpinteria, California on Sept. 20, 2024; (Middle) Matt Damon at the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City on Sept. 24, 2024; (Right) Prince William at the Kia Oval Cricket Ground in London on March 8, 2024.Photo:Scott Dudelson/Getty; Bryan Bedder/Getty; James Veysey/Shutterstock

Scott Dudelson/Getty; Bryan Bedder/Getty; James Veysey/Shutterstock

Matt Damon’s week began with events connected toPrince WilliamandPrince Harry.

Damon, 53, stepped out in New York City on Monday, Sept. 23 to speak at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Annual Meeting, where Prince Harryhit the stagethe following day. The actor also appeared at Prince William’sEarthshot Prize Innovation Summiton Tuesday, Sept. 24.

The Duke of Sussex, 40, is visiting New York City for a busy solo trip “to advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives,” his spokesperson previously said. During his high-profile appearance at CGI, he spoke openly about the serious dangers social media poses to children.

Hillary Clinton and Matt Damon at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual Meeting in New York City on Sept. 23, 2024.Craig Barritt/Getty

Craig Barritt/Getty

Elsewhere in the city on Tuesday, the Earthshot Prize and Bloomberg Philanthropies co-hosted the third annual Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit as the countdown continues to the awards ceremony for the fourth cycle of the prestigious global environmental prize that Prince William founded in 2020. The Prince of Wales, 42, didn’t attend the N.Y.C. event like he did last year, but appeared in a pre-recorded video unveiling the cohort of 15 finalists in the running for five prizes of $1.3 million to scale their ideas to size.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex speaks onstage during Day 2 of the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 Annual Meeting at New York Hilton Midtown on September 24, 2024 in New York City.Craig Barritt/Getty

The 2024 Earthshot winners will be announced at a ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, on Nov. 6, and Damon appeared at the Innovation Summit in his co-founder role of Water.org and WaterEquity.

Gary White and Matt Damon at the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City on Sept. 24, 2024.Bryan Bedder/Getty

Bryan Bedder/Getty

Prince William appears in an Earthshot Prize video that aired Sept. 24, 2024.Earthshot

Earthshot

(Left) Chef Jose Andres at “The Kelly Clarkson Show” in October 2023; (Right) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at the 2024 ESPY Awards in Hollywood, California on July 11, 2024.Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty; Kevin Mazur/Getty

Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty; Kevin Mazur/Getty

Andrés joined the Earthshot Prize Council alongside activists Wanjira Mathai and Nemonte Nenquimo. The additions expand the council that already included Prince William,Queen Raniaof Jordan,Cate Blanchett,Sir David Attenborough,Stella McCartney, Indra Nooyi and more.

(Left) Prince William in Singapore on Nov. 6, 2023; (Right) Chef Jose Andres backstage at “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on March 19, 2024.Jordan Pettitt - Pool/Getty; Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

Jordan Pettitt - Pool/Getty; Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty

The group chooses the winners of the Earthshot Prizes across five flagship categories for the global contest Williamlaunched in 2020to promote impactful approaches to the world’s most pressing environmental challenges through the next decade.

The latest iteration of the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit follows the inauguralEarthshot Prize Innovation Campin London in June, which Prince William visited, and coincides with Climate Week NYC and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

(From left) Christiana Figueres, Wanjira Mathai, Jacinda Ardern and Jose Andres at the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York City on Sept. 24, 2024.Bryan Bedder/Getty

In August, a spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex announced that hewould visit N.Y.C.during the UN General Assembly High-level Week and Climate Week. Climate Weekruns fromSept. 22 to Sept. 29, while High-level Weekis being heldfrom Sept. 23 to Sept. 27.

The spokesperson said that Prince Harry would be in New York to “advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives” and “participate in engagements with African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award and Travalyst.”

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The Duke of Sussex will also “be furthering the work of The Archewell Foundation, the nonprofit organization he co-founded with his wifeMeghan, The Duchess of Sussex,” the spokesperson said.

Despite the distance between the brothers amid an ongoing rift, Prince William andKate Middletonreposted a social media message from King Charles andQueen Camilla’s office wishing Harry ahappy 40th birthdaylast week on Sept. 15.

source: people.com