Prince William attended the Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa, on Wednesday. During his remarks at the fourth annual awards event for his environmental initiative, the 42-year-old English royalty amazed his audience by welcoming them in nine languages, representing North, East, West, and South Africa.
He said “Sanibonani” in Zulu, which is spoken in South Africa; “Dumelang” in Sesotho, also spoken in South Africa; “Ekaabo” in Yoruba, spoken in West Africa; “Saanu” in Hausa, spoken in North Africa; “Akawaaba” in Twi Ghana, also spoken in North Africa; “Dankie” in Afrikaans, spoken in South Africa; “Enkosi” in Xhosa, also spoken in South Africa; “Daalu” in Igbo, spoken in East Africa; and “Asante” in Swahili, also spoken in East Africa.
His actions earned him cheers from the crowd. The prince said it was a gesture of respect for a continent that “has always held a special place in my heart,” according to People.
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According to Prince William, he sought “comfort as a teenager” in Africa when his mother, Princess Diana, passed away when he was 15 years old. In 2010, he proposed to Kate Middleton there.
Africa also inspired his historic environmental project, The Earthshot Prize, which was established in 2020 following a trip to Namibia and Tanzania in 2018.
William explained, “It was an idea that first came to me on African soil. During a trip to Namibia and Tanzania, I was lucky enough to see some of the stunning wildlife that calls this continent home.”
He continued, “But what really struck me was the incredible impact local people were having on the environment around them. Thanks to their ingenuity and creativity, biodiversity was returning, animals were being protected and jobs were being created. I saw first-hand the extent to which people were dedicating their time, talent and vision to fixing environmental challenges, but they weren’t getting the support they needed to speed their solutions to scale or to have them replicated worldwide.”
Out of 15 finalists, five were selected to receive $1.3 million and the opportunity to implement their ideas for a better world. Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems won in the category Fix Our Climate while in Revive Our Oceans, High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People won. Keep IT Cool was named the winner for Build a Waste-Free World and in Protect and Restore Nature, Alytn Dala Conservation Initiative was named the winner. Green Africa Youth Organization (GAYO) took the prize in the Clean Our Air category.
The Earthshot Prize is there “to champion the game-changers, the inventors, the makers, the creatives, the leaders,” the Prince said. “To help them build upon the amazing things they’ve already achieved. To speed their innovations to scale. And to inspire the next generation to create the future we all need.”
Since it began four years ago, the Earthshot Prize has had over 5,000 nominations, William added, with about 400 coming from Africa in 2024 alone.
William pointed out that each of those solutions should be viewed as a reminder that Africa is a center of creativity and innovation that will address our planet’s most difficult environmental challenges.
