William returns to 'special place' Africa for prize awards

The Prince of Wales has spoken of his heavy idiosyncratic connections with Africa - up of his biology Earthshot Prize awards ceremonial successful Cape Town successful South Africa adjacent week.

“Africa has ever held a peculiar spot successful my bosom - arsenic determination I recovered comfortableness arsenic a teenager, wherever I projected to my wife," said Prince William up of his visit.

Prince William's mother, Diana, had galore associations with the continent, including supporting a mine-clearing charity, and his instrumentality determination arsenic a young antheral seemed to person near an affectional impact.

It was successful Kenya that the prince projected to Catherine during a romanticist travel successful 2010.

At the clip helium said he'd been carrying the engagement ring - which antecedently belonged to his parent - astir successful his rucksack for respective weeks, gathering up to the proposal.

Prince William says helium is taking his biology prize backmost to its African roots - arsenic a sojourn to Namibia had been the "founding inspiration" and the "birthplace" of the awards.

“It was successful Namibia successful 2018 that I realised the powerfulness of however innovative, affirmative solutions to biology problems could thrust transformative alteration for humans and nature," says Prince William.

The Earthshot Prize, archetypal awarded successful 2021, supports sustainable, eco-friendly projects from astir the world, with 5 winners each receiving £1m.

There is simply a absorption connected ideas from Africa for this year's event, with much than 400 African-led projects nominated and different 350 linked to the continent.

Although Africa generates the fewest emissions for planetary warming, galore of its countries are among the astir susceptible to clime change.

The accent of the awards is connected tangible results, scaling up bully ideas to marque a bigger impact. For instance, 1 of past year's finalists was a task to trim aerial contamination from car tyres and that's present being developed successful a concern with Uber successful the UK and US.

“By the extremity of the week, I privation the Earthshot Prize to person provided a level to each those innovators bringing astir alteration for their communities, encouraged imaginable investors to velocity African solutions to standard and inspired young radical crossed Africa who are engaged successful clime issues," says Prince William.

In keeping with the greenish theme, guests volition get connected a greenish carpet alternatively than reddish and South African landmarks volition beryllium illuminated successful greenish light.

The prince volition be the awards ceremonial connected 6 November, which volition diagnostic a show of a opus from the Lion King connected apical of Table Mountain, with the lawsuit disposable connected BBC iPlayer.