Prince William arrived in South Africa on Monday for a four-day visit that will see him attend a summit on environmental innovation as part of his annual Earthshot Prize initiative and meet President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This marks the prince’s first visit to South Africa since 2010.
The prince is scheduled to meet with Ramaphosa on Tuesday at Genadendal, the president’s official residence in Cape Town.
“The President and Prince William will hold discussions on a number of key issues of mutual interest. The visit is indicative of the strong ties the United Kingdom, including the Royal Family, share with South Africa, and also another step towards the deepening of these historic ties,” presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said in a statement late Monday.
On Wednesday, the Prince will participate in the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, which recognizes five winners with funds to support projects that tackle climate change and promote environmental sustainability.
Launched in 2020, the Earthshot Prize was inspired by Prince William’s visit to Namibia and is named in homage to former US President John F. Kennedy’s “moonshot” initiative, which aimed for lunar exploration.
“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,” Prince William said in a statement prior to his arrival.
The Earthshot Prize is particularly significant as it focuses attention to the pressing environmental challenges faced by the African continent.
JN/APA