Prince William to Meet Environmentalists on Tour of South Africa
Facts
- The UK's Prince William traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, on Monday for a four-day, environment-focused visit. The trip will see him meet with 120 young environmentalists and award £1M (US$1.3M) to each of the five winners of his annual Earthshot Prize.[1]
- While the award ceremony will culminate the trip on Wednesday, William is also scheduled to attend a global wildlife summit, visit a botanical garden, spend time at a sea rescue base, and meet with a local fishing community.[2]
- Prior to attending his first official events, William, whose trip is also expected to promote sustainable fashion brands that use recycled materials, played rugby with children and former South Africa national team players.[3][4]
- The Prince told young environmentalists, who came from Africa and Southeast Asia, to use the prize as a 'platform' to 'change the world.' He also mentioned his ties to the continent, including that he proposed to his wife in Kenya and conceived the Earshot Prize in Nmibia in 2018.[5][6]
- This follows a documentary released Saturday that found Williams' tax-exempt Duchy of Cornwall estate collected $28.5M (£22M) in rent from Camelford House and charged rent to both a National Health Service (NHS) trust and the British Navy.[7][2]
- The Duchy of Cornwall, which is valued at a combined $1B (£772M) alongside King Charles III's Duchy of Lancaster, has stated that is committed 'to restoring the natural environment and generating positive social impact for our communities.'[7][2]
Sources: [1]Reuters, [2]Washington Post, [3]The Telegraph, [4]The Mirror, [5]Newsweek, [6]The Times and [7]New York Post.
Narratives
- Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Royal Foundation. The Earthshot Prize is a groundbreaking organization with a unique ability to connect environmental innovation with support networks that can bring ideas into reality. Prince Wlliam knows that while world is already full of genius ideas, the only way they can become reality is through funding and entrepreneurship. Over the next decade, Earthshot winners will help save the planet through conservation and ending pollution.
- Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Theweek. Prince William's charities should not be trusted following the revelations surrounding his and his father's estates. Not only are they using their tax-exempt properties to pocket millions in taxpayer dollars, but they're doing so through fraudulent virtue signaling. These estates, which couldn't even pass minimum energy efficiency standards, are a for-profit business hiding behind the mask of environmentalism.