The British heir to the throne Prince William and his wife Princess Kate (both 40) started their US visit with a visit to basketball. The couple watched the Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat from the front row on Wednesday evening (local time). "Let's go Celtics, let's go," tweeted the official Kensington Palace account.

At half-time, the pair honored 15-year-old environmental activist Ollie Perrault as a "heroine among us." On Thursday they want to visit a start-up that supports the development of climate technology and an organization that wants to protect young people from getting involved in gang crime.

On his first trip abroad since the death of William's grandmother Queen Elizabeth II, the heir to the throne couple wants to award the "Earthshot" prize this Friday. Five projects are awarded each year that stand out in the categories of nature conservation, protection of the seas, air quality, waste prevention and climate protection. The prize is considered a heart project for William.

The visit to the US East Coast is overshadowed by a racism scandal in the British Palace. Williams' godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, resigned from the royal household on Wednesday after making racist comments about an anti-domestic violence activist at a reception hosted by Queen Camilla. William had the incident immediately criticized.