Prince William has revealed that Africa served as the founding inspiration behind The Earthshot Prize, his global environmental initiative.
As he prepares to arrive in South Africa for this year’s Earthshot Prize events, the Prince of Wales shared, “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.”
In a statement on Nov. 2, Prince William, 42, reflected on a 2018 trip to Namibia, where he first recognized “the power of innovative, positive solutions to environmental problems” to drive transformative change for both people and nature. He will travel solo to Cape Town on Nov. 4, with Princess Kate remaining in the U.K. as she recovers from cancer treatment.
The week in Cape Town will culminate with the fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards on Nov. 6, an event dedicated to spotlighting innovative environmental solutions from around the world. “I am proud that, since its inception, The Earthshot Prize has traveled to Europe, North America, and Asia, spotlighting and scaling 45 groundbreaking solutions, all of which are having a tangible impact as we work as a global collective to secure the future of our planet,” William said.
This year’s event will feature 15 new finalists, with many African innovators and projects represented. “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,” William added. “I firmly believe that if we come together with collective ambition and urgency, we can reshape the future of our planet.”
Organizers of The Earthshot Prize noted the significance of its impact in Africa, a continent facing severe climate impacts despite being the least polluting globally. African-based nominations have doubled since last year, with over 400 nominations led by African innovators and an additional 350 projects with operations across Africa.
Adding to the anticipation, the Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony will open with a performance by Lebo M., who will present a pre-recorded version of The Lion King’s “Circle of Life” from Cape Town’s iconic Table Mountain. The event will take place in the Earthshot Prize Dome, a temporary structure engineered in South Africa, marking the largest of its kind in Africa. The dome’s production has generated around 650 jobs, contributing to Cape Town’s creative industries.
The Earthshot Prize Awards will be broadcast in 50 African countries on the MultiChoice network, available in the U.K. on BBC iPlayer, and globally via YouTube.