Prince William heads to South Africa for green prize ceremony

LONDON (Reuters) – 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 British heir-to-the throne’s multi-million dollar environmental prize.

William travels to Cape Town on Monday for a series of events to promote his Earthshot Prize, while he will also attend the United for Wildlife Global Summit and have a meeting with South African 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 in a statement.

The trip will be the Prince Of Wales’ first to South Africa since 2010, and he will be making the visit alone as his wife Kate is still 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 last visit to Africa six years ago.

A nod to former U.S. 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 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) each to drive their projects.

The ceremony itself will be held on Nov. 6, hosted by U.S. actor Billy Porter and South African TV presenter Bonang Matheba, and will also feature performances by the likes of Nigerian pop star Davido and Tanzanian singer Diamond Platnumz.

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

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

($1 = 0.7709 pounds)

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton and Alison Williams)