William needs 'wingman' Harry to put aside bitter feud more than ever, says Robert Jobson

William’s visit to New York was a pivotal moment in his royal career as he begins his second year as Prince of Wales.

Just over a year into the job as number two, the future King came of age on the world stage.

Everyone who was anyone was in New York, and William was determined to be part of that conversation.

He chatted confidently with the Secretary General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres ahead of the 78th UN General Assembly a seasoned pro.

Their talks were “warm and constructive” and highlighted how his Earthshot Prize is strongly aligned with the objectives of the United Nations and the Secretary-General.

He also thanked Mr Guterres for his continued support for Earthshot, whose finalists were unveiled at the Plaza Hotel New York earlier today.

He held a ‘crucial’ bilateral meeting with the President of Ecuador, key allies in his legacy battle against climate change, at the swish Consul General’s penthouse pad overlooking the UN and the Hudson River.

With a print of the famous Andy Warhol of his late grandmother Elizabeth II, on the wall in the background, he urged President Guillermo Lasso Mendoza to carry on the “crucial” work in the battle against climate change.

But perhaps the list of big shots he was rubbing shoulders with, including Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg who attended his Earthshot summit showed how far he had come.

As his father the King - a lifetime champion of the environment, William means business with his mission to save our planet.

It is his passion, and now with his increase in status, the people who need to hear him are listening.

It is interesting that his glamorous wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales is now not joining him in Singapore.

In Boston, she wowed the crowds with what she wore and her beauty.

Perhaps they both agree that this is HIS project, and the focus should be on him.

The King is very proud of William and what he trying to achieve.

Perhaps, if Prince Harry could allow his bitterness to subside for just a few moments and let sense prevail, reconciliation would eventually come.

It won’t happen for some time, but for the sake of the Crown, I hope it does.

He had a lot to offer the monarchy but traded it for commercial gain.

The late Queen was right, you can be half in and half out. But William has Diana’s touch too.

He is just as happy to talk to schoolchildren, out doing their bit to save the planet.

On the beach in Manhattan, the prince chatted to a group learning about the Billion Oyster Project and examined some oyster specimens on a table as the youngsters watched.

Agata Poniatowski, 27, public outreach manager for the Billion Oyster Project, waded into the water with William and said afterward he used a pair of calipers to measure the creatures.

She said: "One thing that's really amazing about oysters, and the prince was able to see, is that they actually cluster up rather than the way you see them in restaurants - singular.

"Which gives lots of habitat and space for other creatures to lie and thrive, so we got to see some fish, some crabs and got to point out what kind of marine life we have her in New York through monitoring our oysters.”

The winners of his Earthshot Prize will be revealed at a ceremony in Singapore in November that he will attend. William won’t have to wait as long to be king as his father did.

Everyone says the Queen is a tough act to follow. But for William too, he has a tough act to follow as Prince of Wales. I am sure part of his frustration with Harry is that he left him to face it without his wingman.