Dermot O’Leary has given a “special thanks” to the Duke of Cambridge after accepting the Bafta best live event award for The Earthshot Prize, which the presenter described as the William’s “baby”.

The Earthshot Prize was launched in 2020 by The Duke of Cambridge and Sir David Attenborough to reward ambitious initiatives helping the environment.

The prize ceremony, hosted by TV presenter O’Leary, 48, and radio host Clara Amfo in October last year, saw five projects awarded £1 million.

During the 75th Bafta TV awards on Sunday, the pair accepted the award for best live event, with O’Leary paying “special thanks” to the Duke of Cambridge as it is “easy to be cynical about somebody who has come from privilege”, but the Earthshot Prize was “his baby”.

He described working on the show as a “privilege” and “the most life-affirming experience for all of us”.

He added: “A word as well, just a special thanks to Prince William, because it is very easy to be cynical about someone who comes from such privilege but he approached the whole thing with this incredible empathy and enthusiasm, vitality and this really is his baby which is why Earthshot is now fourth in line to the throne!”

Amfo, 37, added: “I think the thing I’m really proud of about this show is that it wasn’t supposed to be preachy and ‘we’re all so terrible.’

“I think it was the thing Maya Angelou once said ‘when you know better, you just do better’.

“So I think this is about us learning to do better.”