Prince William Went for a Run in Central Park This Morning, and Nobody Noticed

“It was wonderful waking up in New York on a sunny morning.”

Prince William in NYC
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince William arrived in New York City yesterday—on a commercial flight, no less—and has had a jam-packed two days filled with work surrounding The Earthshot Prize and environmentalism, a cause close to his heart.

Prince William in NYC

(Image credit: Getty Images)

But the Prince of Wales did find time to take in the most quintessential of NYC activities: a run in Central Park this morning, where Page Six reports that one of the most famous men in the world jogged, essentially, undetected.

While at the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit at the Plaza Hotel today, he said “I decided to join the hordes of New Yorkers during their morning routine. It was wonderful waking up in New York on a sunny morning rather than the rain we had yesterday. It was beautiful getting some fresh air this morning.”

Prince William in NYC

(Image credit: Getty Images)

People reports William “set off around 7 a.m. local time, awake for the early workout likely thanks in part to the jet lag, as the U.K. is five hours ahead.” (William, after all, just arrived yesterday. It's also worth noting that he did run with his security detail in tow; this is the future king, after all.)

Former NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg praised William today for “building on his father and grandmother’s dedication to environmental stewardship”: “There was no Nobel for working to save the planet,” Bloomberg said of William, “so he decided to create one,” referring to William’s Earthshot Prize, founded in 2020.

Prince William in NYC

(Image credit: Getty Images)

The finalists in The Earthshot Prize’s five categories were revealed today, and the winners will be announced at the third annual awards ceremony in Singapore on November 7. “I’m really pleased with how we’ve achieved,” William said, adding that it has all “gone better than I’ve hoped.” But, he added, “We’ve still a lot of work to do.”

Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.