The Princess of Wales is “doing really well” and has been “amazing this whole year”, Prince William has revealed.
Speaking in Cape Town ahead of the fourth annual Earthshot Award ceremony, the Prince of Wales also said he hoped his children were “proud” of his efforts to repair the planet.
Asked how his wife was doing since finishing her cancer treatment at the end of the summer, he replied: “She’s doing really well, thanks.
“And hopefully she is watching tonight, cheering me on. She’s been amazing this whole year. I know she will be really keen to see tonight be a success.”
The Prince said that he hoped their three children would also be watching, having “brought them along” with him on the Earthshot journey.
The Princess is missing the Earthshot award ceremony for the second consecutive year as she prioritises her recovery after a gruelling few months of cancer treatment.
Last year, she opted not to join her husband for the ceremony in Singapore as she was helping Prince George through school exams.
The Princess carried out her first public engagement since completing her course of chemotherapy last month, when she joined the Prince on a visit to Southport. They met the bereaved families of three young children killed in a knife attack in July as well as the emergency responders who helped at the scene.
Kensington Palace sources have said that she hopes to join her family for remembrance events this weekend. Most senior royals are expected to attend the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening, as per tradition. They will then gather at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday.
The Prince will fly back to the UK to be reunited with his family following a final day of engagements in Cape Town on Thursday.
Throughout his visit, which began on Monday, he has been sporting a beaded bracelet bearing the word “papa” which was made for him by his daughter, Princess Charlotte.
Asked about his new accessory, the Prince told the BBC and Sky News: “Well, this is a relic, if you like, from a Taylor Swift concert that my daughter decided that she wanted to create a bracelet for.
“She gave it to me when I came away. So I promised to wear it and try not to lose while I was out here.”
The Prince took both Princess Charlotte and Prince George to the gig at Wembley Stadium on June 21, his 42nd birthday, and was spotted dancing wildly in a box before posing for a photograph with Swift and the children.
‘I hope they are watching and are proud’
Speaking of his children, he said he hoped they would be watching him take to the stage in a purpose-built eco-dome for the ceremony on Wednesday night, when five new winners will be awarded £1 million to help scale their environmental solutions.
“I brought the children along that journey and tonight, I hope they are watching and they are proud of what we are trying to do here, which is to really galvanise that energy that enthusiasm to make real impact,” he said.
Asked about the environmental strategies the family adopts at home, he revealed that he tries to encourage his children to do what they can to help the environment.
“We go through all the basics of recycling and making sure we minimise water use and turning off lights when we leave the house and stuff like that, and making sure, which is sensible in what we do around the environment,” he added.
“And I think every family has these conversations. You just try to do what you can. The Earthshot prize has got to be a bit more global than that. We are trying to do big scale ambition and big scale business to tackle some of the solutions.”
Prince dons biodegradable trainers
Later, the Prince described the prize as a “collaborative movement for change” that championed “the dreamers, the thinkers and the innovators from every walk of life.”
He joined a host of celebrities on the world’s longest green carpet event, a veritable feast of colour showcasing sustainable fashion and celebrating African design.
The theme was “dress to celebrate”, and as stars including actor Billy Porter and models Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow strode along the 37-metre carpet, they described how their outfits were recycled.
Not to be outdone, the Prince donned a vintage blazer in Prince of Wales check, sourced from a local vintage store in London, and plastic-free, biodegradable trainers from Purified Shoes, made by Earthshot finalist Natural Fiber Welding.
Kensington Palace had promised that the show would be bigger and better than anything done before, and as South Africa took its turn to host the annual ceremony, the colour, the glamour, and the noise were dialled up by several notches.
Guests were welcomed on arrival by a cacophony of colour and noise from Cape Carnival performers.
For the first time, a crowd of 2,000 people packed into the venue, each wearing LED bracelets that produced waves of colour throughout the 90-minute show.
It opened with a performance of Circle of Life from The Lion King, by South African musician Lebo M and featured African stars including the Grammy-nominated artist and producer, Davido as well as DJ “Uncle Waffles”.
Speech broadcast across whole African continent
The Prince greeted the audience in nine African languages, including Zulu, Afrikaans and Swahili, before issuing a rallying cry to people to join the fight against climate change.
Speaking of the 400 Earthshot nominations conceived in Africa, he said: “Each of those solutions should be seen as a reminder that Africa is a hub of creativity and innovation that will solve our planet’s toughest environmental challenges.
“To that end, The Earthshot Prize isn’t just a celebration of winners. It’s a collaborative movement for change. And I now invite you to join the movement for climate innovation that’s happening around the world.”
He added: “That’s why we’re here. 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.”
The ceremony was broadcast live across the entire African continent and in the UK on BBC iPlayer.
One of the most popular winners with the crowd was Keep It Cool, a Kenyan organisation that provides fridges to small farmers and fishers to help preserve their produce. As it was announced as the winner in the Build a Waste Free World category, it was greeted by huge cheers and a standing ovation. “We’re Kenyan, we had to win,” they joked as they took to the stage.
The Ghana-based Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) also received deafening cheers after winning the Clean Our Air category. The organisation aims to divert 4,000 tonnes of waste by 2030.
The other winners were Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems in the Fix Our Climate category, the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People in the Revive Our Oceans category, and Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative in the Protect and Restore Nature category.
