Prince William stops traffic outside Buckingham Palace for a game of cricket

Britain's Prince William turned ​one of London's most ​famous thoroughfares, The Mall leading ‌to ​Buckingham Palace, into a temporary cricket pitch on Tuesday, where he was joined by ‌some of the game's biggest names to promote his Earthshot climate prize. The wide red-paved promenade in the heart of the city ‌is more often seen as the setting for grand royal ‌processions and patriotic flag-waving celebrations.

But on Tuesday, William picked up a cricket bat for an informal game with current and former international players including ex-Indian captain ⁠Sourav ​Ganguly, West ⁠Indies legend Brian Lara and England captain Joe Root. Against the palatial backdrop, William - ⁠dressed in a shirt and sweater - clubbed away a series of ​gentle deliveries from Ganguly and posed for selfies with onlookers.

"He batted ⁠alright," said Ganguly when asked for his verdict on the prince's skills. The ⁠event ​was designed to celebrate the ties between Britain and India - two passionate cricketing nations - as India prepares to host the ⁠annual summit and awards ceremony of William's Earthshot Prize next month.

The ⁠prize, founded ⁠in 2020, honours five winners with £1 million ($1.32 million) each to scale solutions aimed at repairing the planet. ($1 = ‌0.7551 ‌pounds)