When Prince William arrived in Singapore on Sunday for the annual Earthshot Prize ceremony, one of the first people to greet him was a baby, who playfully bit his finger.
In the video posted to X - formerly known as Twitter - the Prince of Wales was seen shaking hands with well-wishers near the Rain Vortex at Jewel Changi Airport. At one point, he stopped to speak with an eight-month-old baby named Albane Costa, according to the Daily Mail, and her mother.
As the father of three inquired about the baby’s sleeping habits to her mother, the infant grabbed a hold of Prince William’s hand and gently bit his index finger. “I need my finger,” William joked with the baby. “I need my finger back!”
She finally let go of the future king’s finger, but not without smiling up at him first. Prince William let out a chuckle and went on to greet the rest of the crowd.
The hilarious moment went viral on social media, as fans shared their amused reactions to William’s interaction with the baby.
“He’s a daddy you can tell,” one person wrote on TikTok.
“Their expressions are the best! Definitely THE pictures of the day!” said someone else on Instagram, while another Instagram user commented: “So so precious!”
Prince William is visiting Singapore for this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony, which supports environmental innovators with solutions to battle climate change. In addition to receiving a playful bite from baby Albane, William was also greeted by dozens of people waving British flags.
The royal will name five winners at the Earthshot Prize award ceremony on Tuesday 7 November. Each winner will receive a prize of £1m ($1.2m) to help support their innovative projects and technologies combating global warming. The winners are from five categories: nature protection, clean air, ocean revival, waste elimination, and climate change.
“It’s fantastic to be back in Singapore for this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony, after eleven years,” William said upon his arrival. “Singapore’s bold vision to be a leader for environmental innovation sets the standard for others to follow.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales previously visited the country together in 2012. While Princess Kate attended the inaugural Earthshot Prize ceremony in London in 2021, followed by Boston last year, she will be absent from this year’s awards. According to People, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Kate plans to stay back at their home in Windsor to help the couple’s oldest child - Prince George, 10 - prepare for an upcoming school test.
Ahead of the ceremony, William was able to show off his rowing skills on Monday when he took to the waters for a morning of dragon boating, a popular sport in Singapore.
