Africa holds ‘special place in my heart’ says William before Earthshot ceremony

William described candidly how the continent, a place of solace after the death of his mother and where he proposed to wife, Kate, holds a “special place in my heart”.

Dubbed the prince’s “Super Bowl” moment, the prize-giving ceremony in South Africa on Wednesday will recognise environmental solutions to “repair” the planet and be broadcast to 50 African countries, with a potential audience across the continent of millions.

Cape Town’s Table Mountain and other landmarks will be lit up green during four days of Earthshot Week.

William will attend the awards ceremony alongside special guests and 1,000 community stalwarts invited in recognition of their efforts.

Ahead of his visit to South Africa which begins on Monday, William said: “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.

“It was in Namibia in 2018 that I realised the power of how innovative, positive solutions to environmental problems could drive transformative change for humans and nature.”

William was 15 and his brother the Duke of Sussex just 12 when their mother Diana, Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris on August 31 1997.

The King took his sons to Africa as it was the ideal place to offer the young boys the time and space to deal with their mother’s death.

In 2010 William proposed to his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton in Kenya after they had been dating for almost 10 years.

The prince added: “I am proud that since its inception The Earthshot Prize has travelled to Europe, North America and Asia, spotlighting and scaling 45 ground-breaking solutions, all of which are having a tangible impact as we work as a global collective to secure the future of our planet.

“This week we’ll travel to South Africa to spotlight our next cohort of 15 Finalists and have the opportunity to join partners from across Africa to celebrate the inspiring approach to environmental innovation that is taking place across the continent.

“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.

“I firmly believe that if we come together with collective ambition and urgency, we can reshape the future of our planet.”

Earthshot’s green carpet has been a fixture since William first staged the awards ceremony three years ago in London, followed by Boston, with Singapore the host in 2023.

Guests have been asked to “rewear” their outfits or spotlight African designers to highlight the importance of local talent and sustainable fashion, and arrivals will be livestreamed on the Earthshot Prize YouTube channel, with hosts Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and Moozlie.

The ceremony will be held in a reusable dome that has staged a number of events, with the production ceremony creating around 650 jobs locally.

The awards will be opened by composer and singer Lebo M, performing Circle of Life from The Lion King film in a pre-recorded performance from the top of Table Mountain.

The finalists, from countries including France, Ghana, UK, Indonesia and Nepal, are vying for a £1 million prize pot awarded to each winner of five categories, with the money earmarked to develop their ideas.

The five categories, or Earthshots are: protect and restore nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a waste-free world; and fix our climate.