The son of the late Australian wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin has praised the Prince of Wales as an “incredibly inspiring leader” and said he is “making environmental issues mainstream” while on the green carpet for the Earthshot awards ceremony.

Robert Irwin will announce one of the five winners of the third annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony at the Theatre at Mediacorp, Singapore, on Tuesday evening.

He said: “I think Prince William is an incredibly inspiring leader in the field of conservation.

“I’d say he’s really at the very forefront, leading the charge and pioneering a new path.

“He’s making environmental issues mainstream, and he’s showing us not only the issues that are facing the world but most importantly, the positive change that is being made and the hope that we have for the future.”

Meanwhile, singer and songwriter Freya Ridings said she was a “genuine fan” of the Earthshot Prize and it was “so surreal” to be at the awards ceremony.

The prince, wearing a blazer by Alexander McQueen that he previously wore for the Earthshot Prize awards in 2021, arrived on the green carpet where he was greeted by Hannah Jones, chief executive of the Earthshot Prize, who was wearing a loaned Stella McCartney dress.

He was then greeted by Earthshot Prize Council member Cate Blanchett, as well as the hosts of the ceremony, Hannah Waddingham and Sterling K Brown.

Former prime minister of New Zealand Jacinda Ardern also walked the green carpet after taking part in a session with finalists on Sunday.

Stars joining Irwin in announcing the winners include Cate Blanchett, producer Donnie Yen and actors Lana Condor and Nomzamo Mbatha.

Performers will include Bebe Rexha, Bastille and OneRepublic and Earthshot Prize Council member Sir David Attenborough will make a video appearance during the broadcast.

At the end of the show, the prince will deliver remarks to celebrate the work of this year’s Earthshot Prize finalists and deliver a message of hope and optimism.

William, along with celebrity supporters of Earthshot, flew to Singapore by a commercial, not private flight, and other measures were in place to make the event as sustainable as possible, organisers said.

In addition to their eligibility for the £1 million prize, each of the finalists will receive mentorship, resources and technical support from the Earthshot Prize fellowship programme, a year-long programme for each cohort of 15 finalists to accelerate the growth of their solutions.

The awards ceremony will air around the world on BBC One in the UK, Mediacorp in Singapore, PBS in the United States and Multichoice across Africa. The show will also be available globally on YouTube. It will premiere on Sunday.