What's Behind Prince William's Smiling Umbrella Moment in His New (Bearded!) Photo?

The Prince of Wales has been on location for an intriguing new aspect of his passion project, the Earthshot Prize

Prince William is confidently rocking his new beard as he undertakes a mysterious new project.

On Sept. 27, during a rainy early autumn day in the woods of Buckinghamshire, U.K., the 42-year-old Prince of Wales was captured peering out from under his umbrella while taking a break from filming.

He was participating in a shoot for his passion project, the Earthshot Prize, although further details remain under wraps for now.

What is clear, however, is that his beard — which first appeared over the summer when he and wife Kate Middleton shared a video message celebrating Britain’s Olympians at the end of the Paris Games—appears to be a lasting addition. After briefly shaving it during a visit to his father, King Charles, 75, in Scotland in August, William has since allowed it to grow back.

The photo, released by his office at Kensington Palace on Sept. 27, was shared just days after William unveiled the 15 finalists for this year's Earthshot Prize, set to take place in Cape Town. William will travel solo to the South African city for a few days leading up to the awards ceremony on Nov. 6. This announcement was also made through a video, in which William praised the new set of ideas, highlighting the innovators and entrepreneurs as "true inspirations."

"These solutions are some of the most exciting, innovative and impactful we’ve seen," he said. "I know you’re as passionate as I am about making a difference to our planet, and we can’t wait to share their stories with you.”

Earlier this week, William made a virtual appearance in New York City to participate in a discussion on biodiversity at the UN General Assembly. He helped launch the event hosted by The Campaign for Nature (CfN), a global initiative dedicated to protecting at least 30% of the world's lands and oceans by 2030. Speaking via video, William expressed his gratitude, stating that he has been “incredibly fortunate to have visited many places around our planet and witnessed the diversity of life and of species.”

“Time and again, I have been humbled by the Earth’s extraordinary beauty and its resilience,” he added. “The global loss of unique natural areas poses a grave threat to our climate, our clean air, our drinking water, and our health.”

Related: Prince William Urges World Leaders at UN for Key Cause Hours After Prince Harry’s Appearance 

“But, the truth is, we are living at odds with the natural world, and it is buckling under the pressure of our actions.”

Meanwhile, Princess Kate, 42, is embracing her post-chemotherapy journey with an afternoon at the ballet on Sept. 26. She made a surprise visit to Sadler's Wells Theatre in North London to attend a matinee performance of Giselle by the English National Ballet. PEOPLE understands that Kate enjoyed the performance so much that she wanted to share a personal message about it.

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"Congratulations and thank you to @ENBallet and @Sadlers_Wells for the wonderfully powerful, moving and inspiring performance of Akram Khan’s Giselle. Creativity at its best!," the Princess of Wales wrote on X, posting a photo of artists on stage in the ballet.

Kate signed the post "C," using the shorthand for the first initial of her full name as she and her husband Prince William are known to do when messages come directly from them.

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