Prince William’s Earthshot Prize has been thrown into chaos as two judges have stepped down in the wake of legal cases.
The singer Shakira and the footballer Dani Alves have stepped down as judges for Prince William’s environmental Earthshot prize, according to the Times.
Shakira reached a settlement with Spanish prosecutors last month to avoid a prison sentence for allegedly defrauding the state of €14.5 million (£12.6 million).
But the 46-year-old Colombian star still has a second tax fraud investigation pending with Spanish authorities.
An announcement of this year’s finalists, issued by Kensington Palace on September 19, listed her as a judge.
Dani Alves is accused of a sexual assault which allegedly took place last December at a Barcelona nightclub. He was arrested in January and has been in prison without bail.
The Brazilian footballer, who first denied any sexual encounter with the victim and then said the sex was consensual, had his contract with Mexican club UNAM terminated following his arrest.
He will stand trial, with the prosecutor asking for Alves to receive a restraining order following a requested nine-year jail term and for him to pay damages worth £130,500 to the woman.
Both have been Earthshot Prize council members since its creation in 2020.
Fellow judges include Queen Rania of Jordan, Sir David Attenborough and the actress Cate Blanchett, who joined William in Singapore this month for the ceremony.
Nominations are currently open for the 2024 Earthshot Prize, with the ceremony to take place next November.
