The Prince of Wales reminisced about a very special memory with his wife, the Princess of Wales, ahead of his solo trip to Cape Town.
Prince William, 42, told of his affection for Africa ahead of his arrival for what has been described as his “Super Bowl” moment.
“Africa has always held a special place in my heart – as somewhere I found comfort as a teenager, where I proposed to my wife and most recently as the founding inspiration behind The Earthshot Prize,” William shared.
Once fondly described as his “second home,” William spent part of his gap year in Africa after completing an expedition in Chile in 2001.
Just a few months later, he would meet his future wife, Catherine Middleton, at the University of St Andrews.
After a long-term relationship, William proposed with his late mother’s sapphire and diamond ring during a private holiday in Africa in 2010, with the Prince disclosing in their engagement interview: “I took her up somewhere nice in Kenya and I proposed.”
He added: “It just felt really right out in Africa. It was beautiful at the time,” with Kate describing the moment as “very romantic”.
It was during one of his last trips to the continent that he was inspired to set up the Earthshot Prize.
“It was in Namibia in 2018 that I realised the power of how innovative, positive solutions to environmental problems could drive transformative change for humans and nature,” William said ahead of his visit.
© ShutterstockHe continued: “I am proud that since its inception The Earthshot Prize has travelled to Europe, North America and Asia, spotlighting and scaling 45 groundbreaking solutions, all of which are having a tangible impact as we work as a global collective to secure the future of our planet.
“This week we’ll travel to South Africa to spotlight our next cohort of 15 Finalists and have the opportunity to join partners from across Africa to celebrate the inspiring approach to environmental innovation that is taking place across the continent.
© Getty“By the end of the week, I want The Earthshot Prize to have provided a platform to all those innovators bringing about change for their communities, encouraged potential investors to speed African solutions to scale and inspired young people across Africa who are engaged in climate issues. I firmly believe that if we come together with collective ambition and urgency, we can reshape the future of our planet.”
The 2024 Awards, taking place on Wednesday 6 November, will be staged in a reusable dome that has been used for a number of events, with an estimated 600 jobs created or working on building the structure.
The future King will begin his four-day trip to South Africa on Monday, where he will meet young African environmentalists and the country’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa.
William is also set to deliver what Kensington Palace has described as a landmark speech on nature, the environment and his support for wildlife rangers, at the start of a two-day summit for United for Wildlife, his umbrella organisation combating the illegal trafficking of animals.
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