Oar-some! Prince William Wins Dragon Boat Race Ahead of Earthshot Prize Event in Singapore

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Prince William is in Singapore without wife Kate Middleton for his Earthshot Prize ceremony on Tuesday

Prince William is putting all his energy into his visit to Singapore.

On Tuesday evening, the Prince of Wales, 41, will unveil the latest winners of his annual Earthshot Prize. On Monday, however, he enjoyed something completely different by picking up the oar of a dragon boat to take part in a race on the Kallang River against a backdrop of some of Singapore’s most famous landmarks.

His efforts were worth it too — the British Dragons Dragon Boat Racing Team came out on top in the race, which showcases a sport that dates back more than 2000 years and involves a crew of 22 team members made up of 20 paddlers who face the bow of the boat, a drummer at the bow and a steer standing at the rear.

For the fun event, William was joined by a mixed-gender crew with representation from 14 nationalities including 8 commonwealth nations (U.K., Singapore, India, Nigeria/Malawi, Canada, Australia and South Africa). They were lined up against a team led by Kara Owen, British High Commissioner to Singapore.

After his race across the water, the prince had breakfast with the British team and met four high commissioners based in Singapore — from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Papua New Guinea. All of these realms count his father King Charles as their head of state.

Following the race event, William also spent time on the diplomatic side of his visit by having audiences with Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the President of Singapore, and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.                                     William’s office at Kensington Palace said that he used the audiences to “celebrate the importance of shared U.K.-Singapore ties” and that they were an opportunity for him to thank Singapore for hosting The Earthshot Prize. William also outlined his long-term vision for Earthshot and used the meetings to “discuss where these intersect with Singapore’s own approach to the sustainability agenda,” the palace said.

William arrived in Singapore on Sunday evening and said he was thrilled to be back in the country that he last visited with wife Kate Middleton in 2012. “It’s fantastic to be back in Singapore for this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony, after 11 years,” he said in a statement.

“Singapore’s bold vision to be a leader for environmental innovation sets the standard for others to follow,” he continued. “I am grateful to the Singaporean people for hosting us this week. Let us all take inspiration from the fantastic work being done here as we celebrate this year’s Earthshot Prize finalists.“

William’s first stop was to pay a visit to the Jewel, a nature-themed entertainment and retail complex linked to one of the airport’s passenger terminals. The Jewel, which opened in 2019, famously houses the world’s tallest indoor waterfall — the HSBC Rain Vortex — surrounded by terraced gardens and trees.

During a walkabout after viewing the waterfall, William posed for selfies, received gifts from the crowd of wellwishers and let an inquisitive 8-month-old baby suck on his finger.

Later on Monday, he attended the United for Wildlife Global Summit, a convening of international leaders from conservation, government, law enforcement and the private sector to discuss solutions for combatting the illegal wildlife trade.