Picking a side in a divorce is always uncomfortable.
Some people, of course, manage to stay friends with both parties.
Now José Andrés is having a go at being allied with both Prince Harry and Prince William.
For the legendary chef and founder of humanitarian food program World Central Kitchen (WCK) has joined the board of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize—despite having long been one of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s most prestigious associates.
His organisation has previously received funding from Archewell running to hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the Sussexes have described him as a “longtime friend and partner.”
He has gushingly described them in return as “dear friends” who “bring hope to each and every community you touch, always with a smile, always with empathy.”
A British reputation management consultant who has previously worked with both William and Harry and the wider royal family told The Daily Beast that Andrés’ defection was “humiliating” for Harry and Meghan and “a very graphic illustration of the power differential between William and Harry.”
It remains to be seen if their relationship can survive Andrés being poached by Harry’s estranged brother and heir to the throne. The role will see Andrés work closely alongside William and other luminaries such as Sir David Attenborough to award prizes.
Earthshot dishes out five million dollar investment prizes every year to entrepreneurs seeking technological solutions to the climate crisis.
It has been mocked by Prince Harry who, during a prank call in 2020, shortly after Earthshot was established, witheringly told Russian YouTubers impersonating Greta Thunberg: “I think people need to be woken up and the only way to wake people up from what effectively is a consciousness crisis is, I think, you need to be doing extreme things. And small steps or giving out prizes doesn’t make any difference these days.”
Andrés, who was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize earlier this year, obviously thinks differently, saying in a statement on the Earthshot website: “I am thrilled to join the Earthshot Prize Council to help showcase the changemakers pushing the boundaries of innovation and ingenuity around the world.
“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.”
Meghan and Harry have donated generously to WCK projects and in 2022 asked their fans to donate money to WCK to mark Princess Lilibet’s first birthday.
Harry and Meghan said they were “amazed” by the flood of donations which exceeded $100,000.
The former royal publicity advisor said: “José Andrés is a uniquely respected figure, and he was very much promoted by the Sussexes over the Covid years. The fact that William can just poach him for Earthshot is not just humiliating for Harry and Meghan, it is a very graphic illustration of the power differential between William and Harry. Faced with a choice, when it comes to advancing the goals of his organisation, Andrés has chosen to be allied with the future king of England, and Harry and Meghan will have to either accept it or cut ties with him themselves.”
