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William – the second-in-line to the British throne – launched the Earthshot Prize in 2020 to recognise contributions to environmentalism by companies and individuals.
Shakira is one of 13 global ambassadors on the Earthshot Prize Council, which also includes William, Queen Rania of Jordan, Cate Blanchett, Christiana Figueres, Dani Alves, David Attenborough, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Indra Nooyi, Jack Ma, Naoko Yamazaki, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Yao Ming, and it was the Duke of Cambridge’s personal commitment which convinced her to get involved.
Shakira speaks onstage during the Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show Press Conference at Hilton Miami Downtown on January 30, 2020 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)Speaking to GLAMOUR UK, she said: “Seeing Prince William’s passion and how genuinely determined he is to provoke change is very, very inspiring. It’s just incredible to see how committed he is, and all the people at Earthshot are, to make change happen in the world in such a short amount of time.
“And it’s not impossible. It requires many of us, plenty of commitment and determination, and we need to raise awareness towards that.”
Five winners across five categories – each inspired by the UN Sustainable Development Goals – were selected in 2021 with each winner receiving a grant of over $1 million to continue their environmental work.
The 44-year-old singer was also motivated to get involved in the project to protect the future of the Earth for her two children, Milan, eight and Sasha, six, who she shares with her long-time partner, Barcelona soccer player Gerard Pique.
She added: “Seeing them so worried, so concerned about the planet and how they can make this a better place has been so inspiring to me as a mother. As a parent, I want to make sure that they will live in a world that will be better than the one I grew up in.”
Last month, William, 39, explained why Shakira was an important part of his project as she “cares deeply about the environment”.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: “We wanted to get people who cared about the environment and Shakira has been brilliant at highlighting the plight of the oceans.”
Speaking previously about the Earthshot Prize, which is inspired by US President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot Prize, William – who is married to Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge – said: “The Earth is at a tipping point and we face a stark choice: either we continue as we are and irreparably damage our planet, or we remember our unique power as human beings and our continual ability to lead, innovate and problem-solve. People can achieve great things. The next 10 years present us with one of our greatest tests – a decade of action to repair the Earth.”
Shakira is GLAMOUR UK’s November Digital Issue cover star. Dressed in sustainably sourced fabrics, Shakira fronts the title’s debut Environment Issue to coincide with the UN COP26 conference which began in the UK this week.