Prince William has concluded his 4-day South African trip with 11 engagements on a very sweet note.
The Prince of Wales hosted a star-studded and highly anticipated Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony in Cape Town on Thursday November 7, where he made a heartfelt confession about the country in his speech.
William kicked off the initiative through his Royal Foundation in 2020 focuses on young entrepreneurs and innovators to bring forward thoughtful ideas for solving environmental problems.
The 42-year-old began his speech by welcoming attendees, and viewers watching on YouTube in 9 regional languages of South Africa.
He continued, "When I founded The Earthshot Prize in 2020, my ambition was to champion the spirit of ingenuity that put a man on the moon within ten years."
Prince William revealed that he came up with Earthshot Prize idea on “African soil” during a trip to Namibia and Tanzania.
"I was lucky enough to see some of the stunning wildlife that calls this continent home," he said.
William went on to admit, “But what really struck me was the incredible impact local people were having on the environment around them. Thanks to their ingenuity and creativity, biodiversity was returning, animals were being protected, and jobs were being created."
“I saw first-hand the extent to which people were dedicating their time, talent and vision to fixing environmental challenges, but they weren’t getting the support they needed to speed their solutions to scale or to have them replicated worldwide," the father-of-three added.
According to the future king, the Earthshot Prize has received over 5000 nominations since it was established in 2020.
He concluded his speech by thanking the audience in official languages of South Africa, noting, “Dankie, Enkosi, Daalu, Asante, Thank you.”
It is pertinent to mention, the first three awards ceremonies were held in Britain, the United States and Singapore.
