Prince William shares why Africa – the spot where he proposed to Kate Middleton – ‘has always held a special place in my heart’

Prince William shares why Africa – the spot where he proposed to Kate Middleton – ‘has always held a special place in my heart’
The Prince of Wales is currently in Cape Town for the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.
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Prince William, Prince of Wales chats with young climate activists in front of the iconic Table Mountain at the Earthshot Prize Climate Leaders Youth Programme Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Prince William has been welcomed to Cape Town as he begins a visit in support of his beloved environmental initiative, the Earthshot Prize. And while his wife Kate Middleton may not be with him in body – the Princess of Wales is said to be staying in the UK as she continues to recuperate after her cancer treatment – she will most certainly accompany him in spirit.

Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement in 2010 – after William had proposed in Kenya Chris Jackson/
William added: ‘As every guy out there will know, it takes a certain amount of motivation to get yourself going. So I was planning it and then it just felt really right out in Africa. It was beautiful.’ Speaking of his late mother, Prince William added that proposing with her ring was a ‘way of keeping her close’ to all ‘the fun and excitement’.

The aunt of Queen Elizabeth II, who died 20 years ago, prospected for gold in Africa, smuggled herself into Afghanistan and worked with the Red Cross during WWII
By Clara Strunck
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It seems that those memories are still held dear by the Prince, who recently made a statement ahead of the star-studded Earthshot Prize awards ceremony, which will take place in Cape Town on Wednesday. ‘Africa has always held a special place in my heart – as somewhere I found comfort as a teenager, where I proposed to my wife and, most recently, as the founding inspiration behind the Earthshot Prize,’ he said. ‘It was in Namibia in 2018 that I realised the power of how innovative, positive solutions to environmental problems could drive transformative change for humans and nature.’

The Prince has a longstanding connection to Africa – here, he is pictured visiting conservation projects in northern Kenya in 2016 Chris Jackson/Getty Images
Prince William’s mother had many associations with the continent, including her memorable support of a mine-clearing charity, and his return there as a young man seems to have left quite an emotional impact. This year, the Earthshot Prize – which supports sustainable, eco-friendly projects from around the world, with five winners each receiving £1m – will have a focus on the continent, with more than 400 African-led projects nominated and another 350 linked to African countries.

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‘By the end of the week, I want the Earthshot Prize to have provided a platform to all those innovators bringing about change for their communities, encouraged potential investors to speed African solutions to scale and inspired young people across Africa who are engaged in climate issues,’ Prince William added in his statement. ‘I firmly believe that if we come together with collective ambition and urgency, we can reshape the future of our planet.’

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Organisers of the prize are said to be especially proud of its reach across Africa, which is very vulnerable to climate change despite generating the fewest emissions for global warming. On Wednesday, guests will arrive to walk the green – rather than red – carpet, before the ceremony in the specially built Earthshot Prize Dome, an enormous structure that will go on to be broken down and re-used for other events across South Africa. The staging of the event alone has created about 650 local jobs, contributing significantly to Cape Town’s industry.