Prince Harry’s favourite chef defects to brother’s Earthshot Prize

José Andrés, is founder of World Central Kitchen, much admired by Duke and Duchess of Sussex

A celebrity chef who works closely with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has joined Prince of Wales’s Earthshot Prize judging panel.
José Andrés founded World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit that provides meals to communities in the wake of natural disasters and is “especially near” to Harry and Meghan’s hearts.
The global food charity was the first recipient of funding from the Sussexes’ newly established Archewell Foundation in December 2020 and Mr Andres has since worked with the couple on multiple projects.
The restaurateur, who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year, has been named as one of three “inspiring environmental champions” to join the Earthshot Prize Council.
Mr Andrés, environmental activist Wanjira Mathai and indigenous activist and author Nemonte Nenquimo will join forces with the Prince of Wales, Sir David Attenborough and other global leaders in selecting the winners of this year’s Earthshot Prize.
He 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 first hand the power of food to heal and unite communities. Food is the best way to address some of the planet’s most pressing challenges, and 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.”
In 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex ploughed money into a World Central Kitchen project to construct community relief centres in areas including Dominica, Puerto Rico and Mumbai.
They have also backed the organisation’s emergency response efforts in Haiti and the Ukraine and supported women restaurant owners during the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2022, the so-called Sussex Squad, comprising the couple’s most fervent supporters online, raised more than $100,000 (£76,000) for the World Central Kitchen to mark Princess Lilibet’s first birthday.
Prince Harry and Meghan said they were “amazed” by the flood of donations, hailing the organisation as one that was “especially near to their hearts”.
In March 2021, the Duchess sent a recipe for a lemon olive oil cake to a group of female restaurateurs who partnered with World Central Kitchen to provide meals to their community during the pandemic and was later included in a cookbook.
Mr Andrés, who has twice been named among Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, has said: “In a world where everyone has an opinion about people they don’t know, the Duke and Duchess have compassion for the people they don’t know.
“They don’t just opine. They run toward the struggle.”
Ms Mathai has also previously worked alongside the Royal family.
Last October, during a state visit to Kenya, the King and Queen attended a reception to celebrate the legacy of her mother, the late Prof Wangari Maathai, a Nobel Laureate.
The King, accompanied by Ms Mathai, visited Kaura Forest in Nairobi, which was saved from development by Prof Maathai.
In a speech, he hailed Prof Maathai as “someone whom I greatly admired, and loved”.
Meanwhile, Robert Irwin, the son of the late Australian conservationist Steve Irwin, and Nomzamo Mbatha, a South African actress, have been named the first Earthshot global ambassadors.
Both presented prizes at last year’s Earthshot award ceremony in Singapore.
This year’s five £1m winners will be announced in Cape Town in November.