The Prince of Wales shares first statement after being heckled by angry protesters on his last day in South Africa

Prince William’s four-day tour in South Africa came to an end on a bittersweet note.

The Prince of Wales released his first official statement after reportedly being heckled in South Africa, before paying a poignant visit to the National Sea Rescue Institute in Simon’s Town.

After attending the star-studded Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony on Wednesday night, the 42-year-old made appearance in Kalk Bay, Cape Town where a group of protesters yelled at him, “go home now.”

According to GB news, one of the protesters in the anti-monarchy group carried a placard for the future king which read, “William, you have no sovereignty in our country”.

As per the reports, William had to sneakily exit the event from back door to avoid further confrontation.

Shortly after the reports regarding this heckling incident emerged, William turned to his Instagram account to share the highlights from his last engagement in South Africa.

Alongside a series of photos of William with the rescue volunteers, there was an uplifting message which read, “National Sea Rescue Institute volunteers are on call 24/7, and are based at 131 service locations across South Africa, like this one in Simon’s Town Harbour.”

The statement added, “Their lifesaving work is not only through rescue operations, but also prevention and education, and they are doing truly vital work.”

It is pertinent to mention, Prince William’s father king Charles also experienced heckling in the Australian parliament when a lawmaker Linda Thorpe yelled at the monarch, “you are not our king,” and also accused him of being “genocidal”.