Prince William. Picture: File
Excitement is building for the visit of His Royal Highness, Prince William, the Prince of Wales to Cape Town to present the Earshot Prize.
Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis shared the excitement, as he announced that the city is ready to host the prince, founder of the Earthshot Prize, in November.
Earlier this week, Prince William teased that he was going to be in South Africa in five weeks but wasn’t clear as to whether Princess Kate would be joining the visit too.
Prince William will be attending the Earthshot Prize Awards in Cape Town on November 6.
The Earthshot Prize is a global environmental prize and platform designed to discover, accelerate and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet.
This is the first time The Earthshot Prize annual celebration will be held in South Africa, following events in London in 2021, Boston in 2022, and Singapore in 2023.
15 Finalists are in the running to receive five £1 million prizes which will be awarded at The Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony.
Finalists were selected from nearly 2 500 nominations spanning 139 countries, reportedly the largest-ever nomination pool.
In a post on Twitter by the Kensington Royal, the royal couple teased: “ There are just five weeks to go until we're in Cape Town for the fourth annual @EarthshotPrize!
Here are five of our favourite moments from years gone by.“
There are just five weeks to go until we're in Cape Town for the fourth annual @EarthshotPrize!
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) October 2, 2024
Here are five of our favourite moments from years gone by 👇 pic.twitter.com/vsBEjqrkz2
Prince William’s brother Prince Harry’s is currently in the country following his recent visit to Lesotho where he met with friend Prince Seeiso.The Duke of Sussex will be in Johannesburg following a series of engagements in Lesotho relating to his charity Sentebale.
Finalists of the Earthshot Prize, were announced on September 24 and hail from France, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Ghana and Nepal.
In a statement shared by Earthshot Prize; Prince William said :“Today, we celebrate the incredible achievement, unwavering dedication and urgent optimism that drives our fourth class of Earthshot innovators.
“The passion of these finalists is a testament to what can be achieved when we tap into the enormous creativity, ingenuity, and optimism of communities around the world. Representing every corner of the globe, these finalists are leading the way in solving some of the most urgent environmental challenges. Their groundbreaking work is inspiring hope and action as we work to create a sustainable future for generations to come.”
The ceremony takes place in the Earthshot Week. The Earthshot Prize was launched by Prince William in 2020 to search for innovative solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges. Taking place across five days of landmark events, Earthshot Week 2024 will shine the spotlight on groundbreaking environmental solutions and bring together world-leading innovators, investors and philanthropists, with the aim to drive forward the restoration and protection of the planet.
One of The Prize’s inspiring 2023 finalists was Cape Town’s ABALOBI, a non-profit partnership between fishers and scientists aimed at protecting small-scale fishing communities while educating clients about the origin of their seafood.
Cape Town Mayor Hill-Lewis said: “We look forward to welcoming the Prince of Wales to Cape Town for this prestigious global prize-giving ceremony. The Earthshot Prize is all about innovation on the biggest environmental and climate issues of our time. We are proud to be associated with such an event as a leading city for environmental protection and innovation on the African continent.”