The presenter of Prince William’s Earthshot Awards says he’s been “crying all day” following Donald Trump’s win in the US presidential election.
Billy Porter, the Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award-winning actor and singer spoke to Sky News ahead of presenting William’s environmental award ceremony in Cape Town.
He said he had been feeling “horrible” following the election result and could not explain the outcome.
He said: “America has decided, everything has been laid out… good luck to you all, I’m here, I have a face on, we’re going to soldier on, that’s all, I have no idea.
“There’s no more hiding, no more excuses, everybody knew and they decided for this [Donald Trump], so we’ll see. I have no answers for this.”
An ardent supporter of Kamala Harris, he told his two million Instagram followers before Tuesday’s vote, that Americans had to decide if they wanted “democracy or not”.
President-elect Trump is known to be a climate change denier.
Prince William’s Earthshot Awards have been described as the Oscars of the environmental world.
They celebrate and reward innovators working to combat some of the world’s most pressing environmental issues.
William arrived on the green carpet wearing a black and white jacket that was bought from a market in London and sustainable trainers made by Purified Shoes, which contain no plastic and are biodegradable.
In his speech, in front of a live TV audience, he called on everyone to become part of the Earthshot “movement”.
The prince said the Earthshot Prize “isn’t just a celebration of winners. It’s a collaborative movement for change”.
He invited his audience “to join the movement for climate innovation that’s happening around the world. Because that’s why we’re here. To champion the dreamers, the thinkers, and the innovators from every walk of life, who share an ambition to build a better, more sustainable world”.
William promised the organisation would “do everything we can to support them and help speed their solutions to scale. Because when they succeed, we all succeed. When they thrive, we all thrive. And when they win, we all win”.
William also spoke in nine different African languages, representing the north, south, east, and west of the continent.
Billy Porter was similarly enthused by the standards of the contestants’ efforts, saying he “loved” how the finalists “have figured out how to be of use. I’ve been blown away by the minds and ideas of finalists to make a difference and make a change.”
