Prince William has received a very special honour – and it’s probably a royal first!
Australian TV presenter Robert Irwin, who has worked closely with the Prince of Wales for his Earthshot Prize, has named a crocodile after him.
The new “Prince William” is a 3.8-metre saltwater crocodile from the Wenlock River, who is part of a research project at the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, named in honour of Robert’s late father.
Announcing the news on Instagram, Robert said: “We named him in recognition of Prince William’s remarkable commitment to conservation and to mark the halfway point of The Earthshot Prize.”
Robert then introduced the reptilian royal on camera, adding: “I’m very proud to say that this big boy here is the 300th crocodile that we have caught.”
His Royal Highness was clearly pleased that he’s inspired a new namesake and “liked” the post on his Instagram account with Kate, @theprinceandprincessofwales.
What will Prince William’s crocodile do?
The crocodile will be tracked for the next 10 years, providing data about what he eats, how long he can dive and how climate change affects his body temperature.
He has been fitted with a state-of-the-art GPS tracker, which will provide conservation teams with valuable data about where he goes and his environment.
© GettyThe reptile is the 300th crocodile to be tagged as part of a major research project.
Robert said: “This is a really exciting milestone. In gratitude and in recognition of the incredible conservation work from His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, we wanted to name this extremely special modern-day dinosaur, this amazing animal, after His Royal Highness. Meet Prince William! Here he is!”
TV presenter Irwin, who manages Australia Zoo in Queensland, is an ambassador for William’s Earthshot Prize, the environmental competition which is halfway through its decade-long cycle to recognise and reward ideas to help save the planet.
Prince George prepares to flee the nest
Prince William’s honour comes just days before Prince George starts at Eton College in Windsor next week.
The 13-year-old royal is shortly set to become a pupil at the prestigious institution, following in the footsteps of his father.
© Getty ImagesAhead of his arrival, Eton has erected “no photography” signs on fences outside the school, to ensure that the future King has the utmost privacy during his studies.
Meanwhile, the family has been making the most of their last few weeks together as a family of five, as George is expected to board at the all-boys school.
The Prince and Princess of Wales, George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis have all spent time in Balmoral with King Charles over the past few weeks, and departed the Aberdeenshire estate last week in preparation for returning to school.
Charlotte, 11, and Louis, eight, will be returning to Lambrook, where they have studied for the past few years.
Read the full article here
