The Duke of Cambridge’s two day visit to Namibia got under way on Monday with a meeting with the country’s Vice President, Nagolo Mbumba. It was the first event of a week long stay in Africa focused on Prince William’s work to end the illegal wildlife trade.
William, who departed Heathrow on Sunday on a specially branded plane carrying the message #EndWildlifeCrime, met Vice President Mbumba at the Old State House in the Namibian capital, Windhoek. After posing for photographers, they held private talks which included discussions on poaching and climate change. Just days earlier, Vice President Mbumba gave a speech urging people to take climate change more seriously. The Duke of Cambridge also met other politicians at the start of his trip including Namibia’s Minister of Environment and Tourism, Pohamba Shifeta, and his deputy, Bernadette Jagger.
The Duke of Cambridge and the Vice President also exchanged gifts to mark the first royal visit to Namibia since the Queen’s tour of the country in 1991. William handed over a photograph of his grandmother during her stay in the country while Nagolo Mbumba presented his guest with a sculpture of a rhino. Other events on this leg of William’s trip include a reception at the residence of the British High Commissioner, Kate Airey, celebrating the ties between the UK and Namibia.
William’s time in Namibia kicks off a seven day trip which will take in two other African nations. The prince is visiting in his capacity as Patron of Tusk Trust and President of United for Wildlife, an umbrella group bringing together seven organisations dedicated to conservation and focused on ending wildlife crime. The visit comes ahead of a major conference on the illegal wildlife trade which is being organised in London by the UK government next month. As well as public engagements, this trip will include a number of private meetings and visits.
The Duke of Cambridge is set to touch down in Tanzania later in the week, arriving there on September 27th, where his engagements include a meeting with the country’s president, John Magufuli, and a tour of Dar Es Salaam, one of the busiest ports in Africa, where he will hear about attempts to tackle wildlife crime. William moves on to Kenya on September 30th where his public engagements will include a visit to the 1st Batallion the Irish Guards to see the work the regiment undertakes with Kenyan military to combat the illegal wildlife trade. The Duke of Cambridge then returns to the UK ahead of the conference on which takes place on October 11th and 12th.
