Billy Porter gave Prince William the ultimate compliment by comparing him to his late mother, Princess Diana.
“He’s lovely. He’s present,” Porter, 55, told Us Weekly exclusively on Thursday, November 7. “He reminds me of his mama when she was alive.”
He added, “His mother was a princess for the people. She cared about the planet. She cared about the people. That was one of the special things about Princess Diana. And that blood runs deep. It’s like she’s smiling down on heaven on him.”
Porter met William, 42, for the first time when hosting the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa on Wednesday, November 6. The duo snapped a sweet selfie during the ceremony as well.
“I don’t even remember how it happened, but the Earthshot Prize — which is Prince William’s initiative for sustainability and global warming — they give out five prizes every year to remarkable human beings who are doing the most earth-shattering work to sustain our planet in many different areas,” Porter told Us. “I was called to be the host, so I came over here to Cape Town.”
The five Earthshot Prize winners this year included the Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative (Kazakhstan), the Green Africa Youth Organization (Ghana and Uganda), the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People (Global), Keep IT Cool (Kenya and Uganda) and Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (USA).
Porter gushed over the “inspiring” Earthshot Prize ceremony while chatting with Us.
“There’s so much darkness and we don’t talk about the light enough, and this is all light” he said, “This is all hope. It’s been such a wonderful, hopeful, loving, compassionate space to be in this week. It’s very moving.”
When chatting with William, the two stuck to conversations about the Earthshot Prize and the finalists. The duo also went to a luncheon on Thursday, along with Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow, to learn more about the eco-friendly contributions of Abalobi, which was an Earthshot Prize finalist last year.
“We sat and chatted about how they are using — it’s smaller, it’s sustainable, it’s not overfishing,” the actor said. “They’re trying to spread that all through the African continent.”
When discussing his time in South Africa, Porter couldn’t help but continuously praise the Prince of Wales.
“What I loved about Diana and about Prince William — and his brother [Prince Harry] — is that they actually use their powers for good,” the actor shared. “When you’re birthed into a privilege like none other, it is nice. It’s beautiful to see them use their powers for good.”
