There was a brief royal mix up in Kirstenbosch on Wednesday when an elderly visitor to the famed Cape Town botanical garden ambled a bit too close to the Prince of Wales.
Enjoying a stroll through the Cape floral kingdom, the unsuspecting tourist had no idea he was within sight of the future British monarch. Fortunately security was at hand to intercept any potential disruption to the prince’s Kirstenbosch itinerary.
“That’s my husband,” exclaimed the visitor’s bemused wife, drawing a few chortles from a group of journalists and Kirstenbosch staff watching the prince’s visit from behind a makeshift cordon.
The would-be gatecrasher did, however, get a brush with royalty a half and hour later when the Prince passed within a few metres on his way to awaiting black sedan.
“He looks good,” remarked one admirer.
“I hope he is wearing sunblock,” said another, with reference to the bright sunshine reflecting off the prince’s balding head.
Kirstenbosch has a long association with the British Empire. Arch imperialist Cecil John Rhodes bought the property in 1895 and bequeathed it to the state a few years before his death. With its spectacular Table Mountain backdrop it has since flowered into botanical history, and is considered one of the world’s most beautiful botanical gardens.
But unlike his royal predecessors, many of whom visited the gardens, Prince William seems more intent on saving the earth than ruling it. He is visiting South Africa to preside over the latest edition of the Earthshot Prize, of which he is founder and president.
It is a global initiative “designed to discover, accelerate and scale ground-breaking solutions to repair and regenerate the planet”, the organisers said ahead of the prince’s visit. Financial support and mentorship is provided to 15 Earthshot finalists offering innovative solutions to pressing environmental challenges.
The winners will be announced on Wednesday night.
The Kirstenbosch event was closely monitored by police and security officers. It saw the prince meeting and interacting with all 15 finalists of the fourth edition of Earshot during an outdoor event hosted by garden director Werner Voigt.
“His interest and leadership in this whole space, and the platform he provides for us, is absolutely incredible,” finalist Nicholas Hill from Coast 4C told TimesLIVE Premium after the prince had left. “That somebody in his position pays that much attention and detail to what we are doing in this space is just phenomenal, really.”
Coast 4C is a supplier of quality, responsibly-sourced seaweed that seeks to provide environmentally sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities worldwide.
Hill said he and his fellow finalists had all been rehearsing their prize-winning routine for Wednesday’s finale, just in case. “Winning would be the cherry on the cake, but one of the biggest most valuable things is connecting with the other finalists,” he said.
“We feel like a family now. Together, the synergies between us, we really can smash this whole climate change issue. The solutions are there and it’s really about driving that scale.”
Wednesday’s proceedings were overshadowed by news of Donald Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections, a result likely to affect America’s approach to fossil fuels and climate change mitigation policies. Trump is on record as calling the climate crisis “one of the great scams’.
Responding to news of Trump’s victory, Dame Christiana Figueres, chair of Earthshot Prize, told CNBC News the result would not halt the changes underway to decarbonise the global economy.
“Being here in South Africa for the Earthshot Prize makes clear that there is an antidote to doom and despair. It’s action on the ground, and it’s happening in all corners of the Earth,” she said.
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