Prince William begins a visit to South Africa that focuses on climate and the environment

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Britain's Prince William will speak pinch young environmentalists and section fishermen during a sojourn to South Africa starting Monday that will spot his yearly Earthshot Prize grant $1.2 cardinal successful grants to 5 organizations for innovative biology ideas.

The 42-year-old heir to nan throne will besides be a world wildlife acme and walk clip astatine a oversea rescue institute during his 4 days successful Cape Town, pinch nan centerpiece of his travel nan Earthshot awards ceremonial connected Wednesday night.

He'll usage nan sojourn to item different issues adjacent to his heart, for illustration nan activity of rangers connected nan frontline of conservation efforts, officials said.

William, nan Prince of Wales, past visited Africa successful 2018, but he has a beardown relationship to nan continent. William traveled to Africa arsenic a boy aft nan decease of his mother, Princess Diana, successful a Paris car clang successful 1997. He and his wife, Kate, exchanged rings astatine a wildlife conservancy successful Kenya successful 2010. And he said he came up pinch nan thought for nan Earthshot awards while successful Namibia successful 2018.

"Africa has ever held a typical spot successful my bosom arsenic location I recovered comfortableness arsenic a teenager, wherever I projected to my wife, and astir precocious arsenic nan founding inspiration down nan Earthshot Prize," William said successful a connection up of his visit.

Kate, Princess of Wales, and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are not walking to South Africa. Kate, 42, only precocious returned to immoderate nationalist duties aft completing curen for an undisclosed type of cancer.

William's travel follows soon aft his relative Harry, nan Duke of Sussex, visited South Africa and neighboring Lesotho past period for a younker kindness he group up pinch a personnel of Lesotho's royal family.

William formed nan Earthshot Prize done his Royal Foundation successful 2020 to promote caller ideas to lick biology problems and it launched successful 2021. The first 3 awards ceremonies were held successful Britain, nan U.S. and Singapore. William said he wanted this year's awards to animate young group progressive successful ambiance action crossed Africa, a continent of immoderate 1.5 cardinal group that contributes nan slightest to world warming but is particularly susceptible to climatic shocks.

The wider confederate African region is presently experiencing its worst drought and hunger situation successful decades, pinch 27 cardinal group severely affected, according to nan United Nations.

The Earthshot prizes are awarded successful 5 categories: protecting and restoring nature, cleanable air, reviving oceans, building a waste-free world and fixing nan climate. This year's finalists see a institution successful Kenya that develops solar-powered systems for homes, a group successful Ecuador that brings Indigenous communities together to protect forests, and a conservation task successful Kazakhstan that is redeeming nan critically endangered Saiga antelope from extinction.

The awards ceremonial will beryllium held successful a temporary, reusable dome that has been erected connected a section adjacent to a sports stadium successful Cape Town. The 470-foot-long dome has hosted different events successful South Africa and will beryllium packed to beryllium utilized again aft nan Earthshot prizes, organizers said.

While ambiance alteration and threats to nan situation are astatine nan halfway of William's visit, he will concisely break distant from those topics to spell to a precocious schoolhouse successful an underprivileged Cape Town neighborhood, wherever he's expected to subordinate kids astatine a rugby practice.

Rugby is 1 of South Africa's astir celebrated sports and nan country's nationalist team, nan Springboks, are the reigning world champions. William is besides a rugby follower.

“I tin committedness that you will spot nan Prince of Wales playing immoderate rugby,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said of nan planned schoolhouse visit.

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AP Africa news: https://apnews.com/hub/africa