The Star Trek actor admires the prince’s environmental efforts despite their differing views on space travel
William Shatner has offered warm words for Prince William, despite the royal’s criticism of billionaire-funded space travel.
The actor, best known for playing Captain Kirk in Star Trek, praised the Prince of Wales’s work to protect the environment through his Earthshot Prize.
“I admire the work he’s doing and I just wish more people would do it,” Shatner told Hello!
His remarks follow William’s criticism of the resources devoted to space tourism. Around the time of Shatner’s mission, funded by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the prince said the focus should be on “trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live”.
Shatner, however, believes exploring space can also help people find ways to reduce pollution on Earth.
Reflecting on his journey at the age of 90, the actor described it as a “life changing experience”, although he admitted returning with the “strongest feelings of guilt”.
Environmental concerns are clearly close to his heart. Shatner, who starred in the television series Voice of the Planet, also spoke about the need to take global warming seriously.
“In my opinion, saying that global warming doesn’t exist is like saying, ‘I’m not going to die’. Global warming is happening,” he said. “There is no question that we are in an existential race.”
For now, his admiration has not led to any direct conversations. Shatner said he had never reached out to William, and the prince had not contacted him either.
While no collaboration has been announced, his comments point to a shared commitment to protecting Earth—even if the two have different ideas about how space exploration fits into that mission.
