Prince William ‘to champion dreamers’ as he makes major speech in South Africa

He welcomed the audience and livestream viewers in the various languages of the nation.

He said: “Sanibonani, Dumelang, Ekaabo, Saanu, Akwaaba.”

The Prince of Wales also thanked that the “most warm and generous welcome” he had received on his visit, before speaking about his environmental ambitions.

He said: “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 said the idea for The Earthshot Prize came to him on “African soil” during a trip to Namibia and Tanzania.

He said: "I was lucky enough to see some of the stunning wildlife that calls this continent home.

“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.

“However, I believe our world can be rich in possibility, in hope, and in optimism.”

He said the reason that the Earthshot Prize exists is “to champion the game-changers, the inventors, the makers, the creatives, the leaders. To help them build upon the amazing things they’ve already achieved.”

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He added: “To speed their innovations to scale. And to inspire the next generation to create the future we all need.

The heir to the throne recognised that the continent contributes the least to global warming but is amongst the most vulnerable to its impact.

According to William, the Earthshot Prize has received over 5000 nominations since it was established in 2020.

He said: “To champion the dreamers, the thinkers and the innovators from every walk of life, who share an ambition to build a better, more sustainable world.

“We’ll do everything we can to support them and help speed their solutions to scale. Because when they succeed, we all succeed. When they thrive, we all thrive and when they win, we all win.”

He concluded the speech by thanking the audience in more of the official languages of South Africa.

He said: “Dankie, Enkosi, Daalu, Asante, Thank you.”