Prince William’s first speech as the Prince of Wales pays tribute to his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II
Prince William has this week made his first official speech as the Prince of Wales, which paid tribute to his father, grandfather and “much-missed grandmother” as he discussed his passion for conservation.
Speaking at London’s Science Museum for the United for Wildlife Global Summit (UFW), Prince William vowed to help stamp out the illegal wildlife trade.
The father-of-three said, “Our natural world is one of our greatest assets. It is a lesson I learnt from a young age, from my father and grandfather, both committed naturalists in their own right, and also from my much-missed grandmother, who cared so much for the natural world. In times of loss, it is a comfort to honour those we miss through the work we do.”
Prince William founded the UFW in 2014 as part of his charity The Royal Foundation, with the aim to protect endangered species from criminal gangs who make over $20 billion each year from the illegal wildlife trade.
The Prince of Wales continued, “The illegal wildlife trade is a crime that robs us all of our most precious natural resources, funds organised crime, and the harms of which are often directly felt by the most vulnerable communities.
“There are still too many criminals who believe they can act with impunity, too many lives being destroyed and too many species on the brink of extinction due to this heinous crime.”
The summit, which was attended by over 300 leading figures from business, conservation and law enforcement, comes weeks after William hailed as “a significant victory” the five-year jail sentence of Ugandan wildlife trafficker Moazu Kromah for conspiring to traffic more than $7 million worth of rhino horn and elephant ivory, which involved the illegal poaching of around 135 animals.
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