Prince William is continuing his work to help the planet in South Africa. The royal is on a four-day visit to the country, where he is meeting with leaders and locals and participating in activities in line with his Earthshot Prize mission—to find innovative solutions to stop climate change and bring the Earth back to health.
On Saturday, ahead of the trip, William spoke of his deep personal ties to Africa. “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,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
William proposed to Kate—with his late mother Princess Diana’s diamond and sapphire ring—during a trip to Kenya in 2010. The two married in 2011, and now share three children: Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.
Kate, who recently finished her chemotherapy treatment after being diagnosed with cancer, did not accompany William to South Africa, but instead stayed home with the couple’s kids.
Today, William arrived in Cape Town to kick off his trip, and for his first engagement met with 120 young environmentalists as part of the inaugural Earthshot Prize Climate Leaders Youth Program.
“All of you in this room are future changemakers, you’re the leaders, you’re the people going to make the difference going forwards,” he told them in a moving speech. “It’s your platform. Use it as you need to, take it away, play with it, turn it into something different.”
“Because we believe in you, and what you’re going to do is change the world, I really believe that,” William added. “This is the generation that are going to do that. And your solutions and your impact are so important and so needed right now. This is not noble, this is business, and what you’re doing is creating solutions and a better life for all of us. Keep it going. Keep the energy up.”
