Prince William announce new 'dating service' environmental initiative at Earthshot summit in South Africa

Prince William has taken part in an environmental summit, Earthshot+, while in South Africa for his fourth annual Earthshot Prize.

The Prince of Wales joined leaders, climate experts and change-makers for the day of conversations at Portside Tower in Cape Town.

While speaking on a panel, the father-of-three announced a new initiative pairing inventors with investors, comparing it to a "dating service", promising "sparks will fly".

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"One of the things we've heard a lot from young people is 'I have a solution, but I don't know how to scale it, and I don't know where to go'," Prince William told the audience.

"And I hear a lot of investors and a lot of businesses out there saying 'I have a lot of money, and I don't know where to put it. What do we do?'

"So we came up with an idea of Launchpad, which effectively is this dating service, which matches the funder with a solution, and vice versa.

"And it's, I think, collaboration again is key. If you put all this in one big melting pot, then sparks will fly, in a good way."

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The match-making platform now has more than 200 investors on board, with the hope their funding can accelerate breakthrough solutions from a pool of Earthshot Prize nominees, including 45 finalists and 15 winners.

That wasn't the only announcement the Prince of Wales made across the day.

The 42-year-old also attended the 2024 United for Wildlife Global Showcase - a two-day summit for the organisation aiming to end the illegal wildlife trade, launched by Prince William and The Royal Foundation in 2013.

There, a new life insurance cover was announced for rangers, following the murder of Anton Mzimba in South Africa.

"Anton was assassinated in his home for doing his job, protecting the incredible biodiversity of this country," Prince William said in his speech.

"And globally, 1400 rangers have been killed in the past decade."

The royal said he hoped the new initiative would give rangers "and their families reassurance that they are protected for the dangerous job they do".

"A leadership council of experienced rangers will guide this initiative, ensuring that it remains rooted in the needs and experiences of those on the front lines," Prince William announced.

During the day, Prince William also met with President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa at his official residence in Cape Town.

The Prince of Wales had a big day, starting early with a nature walk near South Africa's Table Mountain to promote the work of conservation rangers in a unique urban national park.

He was joined for the stroll through nature trails on Signal Hill, at the foothill of the famous flat-topped mountain, by Australian wildlife warrior Robert Irwin and park manager Megan Taplin.

Prince William set up the Earthshot Prize in 2020 through his foundation and the awards ceremony will be held in Cape Town - the first time it's been in Africa - on Wednesday night.

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