A Teenage Prince William Found 'Comfort' in the Most Unexpected Place After Diana's Death

Prince William recently arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, for the Earthshot Prize Awards' fourth edition. Before traveling to the continent, he expressed his genuine emotions about why Africa holds such a special place in his heart. As a teenager, he found comfort there when he was dealing with the death of his mother. It's also why, in 2010, he proposed to Kate Middleton there. After all, Princess Diana, William's mother, had a strong connection to the continent, and when he proposed to Middleton in Kenya, he carried with him the engagement ring that once belonged to his late mother, Diana.

As reported by The Mirror, William said, “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. It was in Namibia in 2018 that I realized the power of how innovative, positive solutions to environmental problems could drive transformative change for humans and nature.” 

The future king's statement came up as Cape Town was gearing up for a week filled with activities leading up to the star-studded Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony on Wednesday, as reported by People. William took inspiration from President John F. Kennedy's "Moonshot" objective from the space race of the 1960s and created five Earthshots annually to introduce and honor creative solutions for preserving the planet. Since its launch in 2021, the program has expanded to support many finalists by linking them with international investors. It also helps them implement their ideas through a network similar to Dragons' Den.

The winners of each year's Earthshot Prize are announced at the Awards Ceremony; this year, for the first time, The Earthshot Prize also featured a live-streamed Green Carpet Event. Over 400 nominations for African-led projects, and another 350 from organizations influencing Africa, show significant support for the cause.

On the other hand, as reported by Marie Claire, even though William did not bring his wife along, royal experts believe that William's solo travel to Cape Town is a positive sign after Middleton's cancer treatment. Royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams said, "Prince William... has made it clear his family, their wellbeing, and their privacy come first." He elaborated that Middleton has been receiving preventive chemotherapy for cancer, and while she has completed her treatment, she has expressed that there is still a considerable healing journey ahead of her. The royal expert also stressed that if William had any concerns about Middleton's health, he would not have decided to come to South Africa. Hence, it seems as though he only went on this trip since he was sure Middleton was doing well and could take care of the family in his absence.