CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Prince William of England will meet with young environmentalists and local fishermen during a visit to South Africa that began Monday and will focus on climate change and conservation. He will also see its annual Earthshot Prize awarding $1.2 million in grants to five organizations for innovative environmental ideas.

The 42-year-old heir to the throne will also attend a global wildlife summit and spend time at a sea rescue institute during four days of events in Cape Town, with the centerpiece of his trip being the awards ceremony Earthshot Wednesday evening.

He will use the visit to highlight other issues close to his heart, such as the work of rangers on the front lines of conservation efforts, officials said.

The visit comes as the finances of William and his father, King Charles III, are under scrutiny following an investigation by The Sunday Times newspaper and Britain’s Channel 4 television. The investigation found that their Private estates had made millions of pounds by renting properties to government entities, including the armed forces, the National Health Service and public schools.

Both estates, the Royal Duchy of Lancaster and the Princely Duchy of Cornwall, hold portfolios of commercial, residential and agricultural properties which provide personal income to the royal family.

The Duchy of Lancaster responded by saying that although the king has an interest in the estate, day-to-day operations are overseen by an independent council and rulers. The Duchy of Cornwall said the estate meets a commercial imperative “alongside our commitment to restoring the natural environment and generating positive social impact for our communities”.

William, Prince of Wales, last visited Africa in 2018, but he maintains close ties with the continent. William traveled to Africa as a child after his mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris in 1997. He and his wife, Kate, got engaged at a wildlife reserve in Kenya in 2010. And he said he came up with the idea for the Earthshot Awards while he was in Namibia in 2018.

“Africa has always held a special place in my heart as it is a place where I found solace as a teenager, where I proposed to my wife and, more recently, as a source of inspiration founder of the Earthshot Prize,” William said in a statement before her visit. .

Kate, Princess of Walesand their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are not traveling to South Africa. Kate, 42, only recently returned to some public functions after completing treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.

William’s visit comes shortly after his brother Harry, Duke of Sussex, visited South Africa. and neighboring Lesotho last month for a youth charity he set up in southern Africa with a member of the Lesotho royal family.

William established the Earthshot Prize through his Royal Foundation in 2020. encourage new ideas to solve environmental problems; it was launched in 2021. The first three awards ceremonies were held in Britain and the United States. and Singapore.

William said he wanted this year’s awards to inspire young people involved in climate action in Africa, a continent of some 1.5 billion people that contributes the least to global warming but is particularly vulnerable to shocks climatic.

The entire Southern African region is currently experiencing its worst drought and hunger crisis in decadeswith 27 million people seriously affected, according to the United Nations.

The Earthshot Awards are awarded in five categories: nature protection and restoration, air quality, ocean revitalization, building a world without waste and tackling climate. This year’s finalists include a company in Kenya that develops solar energy systems for homes, a group in Ecuador that brings together indigenous communities to protect forests, and a conservation project in Kazakhstan that is saving the world from extinction. saiga antelope, critically endangered.

The awards ceremony will take place in a temporary, reusable dome erected on a field next to a sports stadium in Cape Town. The 470-foot-long dome has hosted other events in South Africa and will be dismantled for reuse after the Earthshot awards, organizers said.

While climate change and threats to the environment are the focus of William’s visit, he will briefly step away from these topics to go to a high school in a deprived area of ​​Cape Town, where he is expected to join children during rugby training.

Rugby is one of South Africa’s most popular sports and the country’s national team, the Springboks, is the reigning world champions. William is also a rugby fan.

“I can promise you that you will see the Prince of Wales playing rugby,” a Kensington Palace spokesperson said of the planned school visit.

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Associated Press writer Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.

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