Prince William heads to South Africa for green prize ceremony

Britain's Prince William jets to South Africa next week for the start of a four-day trip which will take in the annual awards ceremony for the heir-to-the throne's multi-million dollar environmental prize.

William travels to Cape Town on Monday for events to promote his Earthshot Prize and will also attend the United for Wildlife Global Summit and have a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa during his stay.

"His royal highness is looking forward to spending time with people from South Africa and across the wider continent, as well as celebrating the incredible climate solutions that will be spotlighted," Kensington Palace said.

The trip will be the first by the Prince of Wales to South Africa since 2010,. He will make the visit alone as his wife Kate is managing a return to work after finishing a course of preventative chemotherapy for cancer.

William, who like his father King Charles has become a keen environmental campaigner, set up the Earthshot Prize in 2020, inspired by his visit to Africa six years ago.

A nod to former US president John F Kennedy's "moonshot" project which led to the 1969 lunar landing, its goal is to find innovations to combat climate and other green issues, and awards five winners £1m (R22.7m) each to drive their projects.

The ceremony will be held on November 6, hosted by US actor Billy Porter and SA TV presenter Bonang Matheba, and also feature performances by Nigerian pop star Davido and Tanzanian singer Diamond Platnumz.

Supermodel Heidi Klum and actress Nina Dobrev will be among the celebrities announcing the winners.

Porter said: "I can’t wait to be part of an evening that celebrates creativity, human ingenuity, and artistry in all its different forms."

Reuters