The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hosted a reception for the UK-African Investment Summit on behalf of The Queen last evening, their first major hosting duty at Buckingham Palace.
Accompanied by The Earl and Countess of Wessex—on her 55th birthday—and The Princess Royal, the couple welcomed the leaders, government ministers, and business people of several African nations, 21 in total, who were in the UK on Monday to discuss business and trade relations with the British government.
The reception took place in the Green Drawing Room and the Picture Gallery. Those in attendance took a large group photo in the Throne Room, with UK Prime Minister jokingly telling everyone to say “Brexit” rather than “Cheese.”
Afterwards, Prince William gave a speech, thanking the leaders in attendance and saying how The Queen had wanted him to “pass on her warmest wishes to you all.”
He also highlighted how dearly he feels about the African continent, saying, “It is the place my father took my brother and me shortly after our mother died. And when deciding where best to propose to Catherine, I could think of no more fitting place than Kenya to get down on one knee.”
Embed from Getty ImagesHe continued, “As Catherine and I have said to several of you here tonight, we hope to have the chance to visit many more countries in the future and share our mutual love of your continent with our children.”
He also spoke of the need to invest in Africa’s natural environment, saying that, “African countries have some of the most abundant, valuable ecosystems in the world, relied on by millions of people for their livelihoods. It is always deeply worrying to hear when those livelihoods are threatened, for example by the illegal wildlife trade, extreme weather events, or by the current devastating locust plague in East Africa.
Embed from Getty Images“At the start of this new decade, and as we lift our ambition towards the climate change conference in Glasgow later this year, we must all work together to invest in the natural world – our most precious asset.”
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Duke of Cambridge spoke with several African presidents at the reception, often telling them how he was looking forward to visiting their countries. The Evening Standard reported him telling the Angolan Minister for Economic and Social Development that “what’s going on in Angola is very exciting,” and that he was looking forward to seeing Angolan President Lourenco.
Earlier Monday, William held meetings with the Presidents of Ghana and Rwanda and is reported to have three further meetings with African leaders on Tuesday.