Prince William and Kate Middleton given incredible new honour in America

The Prince and Princess of Wales are among the global names on this year’s Time100 list.

Prince William and Kate are named in the Innovators category where they are hailed by the US publication for modernising royal philanthropy.

The Time100 Philanthropy 2025 is described as “the 100 most influential people shaping the future of giving at a pivotal moment”.

The magazine praised the couple for being “less concerned with cultural preservation and more attuned to social issues,” as it cited their work on mental health, climate change and tackling homelessness through their Royal Foundation.

It added: “Crucial to the Waleses’ approach is aligning social imperatives with sound business strategies and building corporate alliances to expand their reach.”

It refers to the Princess’s Business Taskforce which suggested last year that investing in early childhood programmes could create an additional £45.5 billion for the UK economy each year.

On Monday, the Taskforce released its impact report with a number of leading UK businesses announcing major policy changes and projects, with Deloitte UK changing its parental policies to give all parents 26 weeks full pay.

The Time article contained a disclosure that its owners and co-chairs Marc and Lynne Benioff have supported the Prince and Princess’s Royal Foundation in the past.

“Smaller R in the royal”

While speaking in Cape Town last November in support of the Earthshot Prize Awards, William revealed how he and his wife are doing things differently within the monarchy.

“I can only describe what I’m trying to do, and that’s I’m trying to do it differently and I’m trying to do it for my generation,” he said. “And to give you more of an understanding around it, I’m doing it with maybe a smaller R in the royal, if you like, that’s maybe a better way of saying it.”

He added: “It’s more about impact philanthropy, collaboration, convening, and helping people. And I’m also going to throw empathy in there as well, because I really care about what I do. It helps impact people’s lives. And I think we could do with some more empathetic leadership around the world.”

Also named as top philanthropists in the Time100 list were David Beckham, Oprah Winfrey, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Melinda French Gates, singer Dolly Parton and actor Michael Sheen.