Prince of Wales speaks of ‘special place’ Africa has in his heart ahead of Earthshot awards
The Prince of Wales has spoken of the “special place” Africa holds in his heart as he prepares to host the fourth Earthshot Prize award ceremony in Cape Town.
The four-day visit, which begins on Monday, will be the Prince’s first to the continent in six years and his first to South Africa since 2010, when he undertook an official tour with his brother, the Duke of Sussex.
His love for Africa is born of a deep-seated passion for conservation combined with a powerful emotional attachment formed in the wake of his mother’s death.
For both Princes William and Harry, the African wilderness offered precious respite in those dark months and years and a freedom that could not be found at home.
Ahead of his trip, the Prince said: “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.
“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.”
The Prince said that by the end of the week, he hoped to have shone a spotlight on all who are trying to change their communities and encouraged potential investors to invest in the expansion of African environmental solutions.
He added: “I firmly believe that if we come together with collective ambition and urgency, we can reshape the future of our planet.”
As well as unveiling the latest five winners of the £1m Earthshot Prize, the Prince will seek to celebrate innovators from across Africa who are helping to protect the planet.
Among the finalists are a Kenyan company that makes solar energy systems for homes not connected to the energy grid, a Ghanaian organisation that teaches people how to recycle and reuse waste instead of burning it, and a Kenyan firm that makes small solar-powered refrigeration units to help farmers and fishermen get fresh goods to market.
The fourth annual award ceremony, which takes place on Wednesday, will be held for the first time in a purpose-built, reusable “eco dome”, the length of two rugby pitches, designed and engineered in South Africa.
The dome will play host to a 2,000-strong crowd and is powered by renewable energy from a local wind farm.
The show will open with an exclusive performance of Circle of Life from The Lion King by South African musician Lebo M, pre-recorded at the top of Table Mountain.
It is the first time that such a performance has been recorded at Cape Town’s iconic site.
The ceremony will be broadcast live across the entire continent and in the UK on BBC iPlayer.
It will be preceded by the world’s longest green carpet event, showcasing sustainable fashion and celebrating African design.
The Prince said: “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.
“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 Prince is so fond of Africa that he once described it as his “second home”, saying: “When I step off the plane I’m like, ‘Yes, I’m back’.”
His 21st birthday was African-themed and he decorated a young Prince George’s nursery with elephants and rhinos.
The last time the Prince made an official visit to South Africa was in 2010, when he and his brother undertook their first and as it turned out, last, joint tour.
In many ways, that six-day, three-country jaunt offers a snapshot of a different age; the brothers united before marriage, children and deep-seated resentments got in the way.
But in many others, it shows what little has changed, as both continue to champion their interests in Africa, conservation and wildlife.
A month after that tour, Prince William would propose to the then Kate Middleton during a safari in Kenya, later explaining he could think of no more fitting place.
