Prince William hires Harry and Meghan’s ‘dear friend’ and charity ‘partner’ to help lead £50m global eco-project
PRINCE William has taken on Harry and Meghan's "dear friend" and charity "partner" to help to lead his £50million global eco-project.
José Andrés, 55, says he is "thrilled" to be named as one of the newest members of William's Earthshot Prize Council - alongside Sir David Attenborough and Cate Blanchett and the Prince of Wales.
The chef and humanitarian has been pals with Meghan and Harry for the past four-and-a-half years receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars of grants from Archewell for his flagship project World Central Kitchen (WCK).
The Sussexes website describes José as a "longtime friend and partner" of Harry and Meghan.
And the food charity founder was gushing in his support for the Sussexes when he penned a testimonial to the California-based couple in Archewell's January 2023 annual report.
Jose wrote: "Harry and Meghan, my dear friends, you bring hope to each and every community you touch, always with a smile, always with empathy.
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"Through your partnership with World Central Kitchen, sometimes a hot plate of food that shows people in need how much we care."
Speaking to US publication People in April 2022, the food charity founder said: "I love them. I have been able to spend time with them, working with them.
"They are very hands-on and highly knowledgeable of what's happening in the world, what the issues are, and what the needs are.
"For me, it is a pleasure to call them friends. All my life I have been trying to learn what exactly we are missing.
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"Because why is there still hunger? What are we missing? We have to make the most of the opportunities of goodness.
"I believe that with people like Meghan and Harry, we can make it happen."
World Central Kitchen was the first good cause to receive an undisclosed donation from Archewell in 2020 to help build community relief shelters in Puerto Rico and Dominica.
He was listed as a "partner" on the Archewell impact report and also got a $300,000 grant in 2022.
The report also said: "AWF's support also benefited WCK's relief work throughout the world, which included emergency food relief due to floods, fires, earthquakes, and the invasion of Ukraine."
Archewell previously announced it planned to help World Central Kitchen build a relief shelter in India and has been helping distribute food in war-torn Ukraine.
WCK and Archewell teamed up to provide 50,000 meals to people in need around the world between 2020 and 2022.
Last March, it was announced that Meghan's recipe for lemon oil cake cake made Jose's book 'The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope'.
Alongside the recipe, Meghan wrote: “Sometimes we overlook how much it matters to express thanks and show appreciation.
"Perhaps we realize now more than ever that fundamental human moments, like enjoying a meal together, fill us up with more than just food (even if that food is delicious!).
"To that point, we hope you enjoy the offering we baked for you—a small token of thanks, from our home to yours.
"Our hope with this effort is to show that, when we all participate, even the smallest actions can have a ripple effect. Even individual actions can impact the whole of us.”
It is unclear whether Jose still works in partnership with Archewell and both WCK and Sussexes have been approached for comment.
But the announcement by The Earthshot Prize comes just days after The Sun exclusively revealed Harry had jetted to the UK to attend his uncle Lord Fellowes' memorial service.
Feuding siblings Wills, 42, and Harry, 39, did not share a word as they sat apart during the service at St Mary's Church, Snettisham, and subsequent reception under a marquee next door, last Thursday.
They have not spoken since the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II two years ago.
Harry has trashed his family and sibling since Megxit making damaging allegations of racism during their Oprah Winfrey interview and airing family dirty laundry
The King and Camilla were targeted in Harry's best-selling memoir Spare on which he also described being knocked to the ground by his elder brother during a row over Meghan at Nottingham Cottage, Kensington Palace.
The Prince of Wales is hosting his fourth prize ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, in November handing out another £5million to projects fighting climate change.
It was announced back in July that William would not attend Earthshot Innovation Summit scheduled to take place at the Plaza Hotel in Manhattan on September 24.
Harry has since announced that he will be in New York to at the same time to "advance a number of his patronages and philanthropic initiatives" including African Parks, The HALO Trust, The Diana Award and Travalyst.
Chef Jose Andres was a guest at William's Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit in New York on September 19.
He will be joined by environmentalist and activist Wanjira Mathai and indigenous activist and author Nemonte Nenquimo on the expanded Earthshot Prize Council.
Other members include Prince William, Cate Blanchett, Stella McCartney, Queen Rania of Jordan, Indra Nooyi and Sir David Attenborough.
They will help choose the five winners of this year's prize.
Conservationist Robert Irwin, son of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin, and humanitarian and actress Nomzamo Mbatha will serve as the inaugural Earthshot Global Ambassadors.
South African actress Nomzano rubbed shoulders with Harry and his wife Meghan at Global Citizens in New York in September 2021.
In a statement, Jose Andres said: "I am thrilled to join the Earthshot Prize Council to help showcase the changemakers pushing the boundaries of innovation and ingenuity around the world.
"In good times and hard times, I’ve seen firsthand the power of food to heal and unite communities.
"Food is the best way to address some of the planet’s most pressing challenges.
"I firmly believe that we must transform our food systems to be more sustainable and equitable.
"There is so much we can do to inspire the world to see food as a powerful tool for creativity and change, and Earthshot solutions are at the forefront of this movement."
He founded World Central Kitchen in 2010 and a link up with Archewell was announced in late 2020.
In March, seven of its aid workers were killed in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike.
Harry turns 40-years-old in two weeks time and there are claims that he has been reaching out to old pals hoping to find a way to "rehabilitate" his image in the UK after years of attacks.
Claims that he wishes to take on a hybrid role and return to royal duty have been dismissed by sources close to Prince Harry.
Friends close to William told The Sunday Times he would not invite his younger sibling to his Coronation.
Harry and Meghan's chief-of-staff Josh Kettler stepped down just three months into his role only days before the couple's faux-royal tour of Colombia.
He became the 18th member of staff to quit working for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
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Archewell and World Central Kitchen have been approached for comment.
Kensington Palace only commented to reaffirm Jose's commitment on food systems impacted by climate change and green credentials.
