The Prince of Wales has revealed his children regularly quiz him about his love of African wildlife, as he sported a friendship bracelet made by his daughter.
When William was asked about his favourite African animal during a trek to the top of Cape Town’s Signal Hill, he said it is the cheetah, the world’s fastest land animal.
The hilltop gives panoramic views of Cape Town, with Table Mountain as a dramatic backdrop, and the prince posed for a picture at a spot set up for tourists to perfectly compose their images.
He was wearing a blue and white bracelet made by Princess Charlotte on his right wrist, with the word “Papa” spelled out by four of the beads.
Such tokens of love and friendship have made a comeback thanks to fans of US singer Taylor Swift who have been exchanging the hand-made jewellery.
The future king is on a four-day visit to South Africa to promote his environmental Earthshot Prize, which is holding its annual awards ceremony in Cape Town on Wednesday.
He was questioned by Robert Irwin, the son of late wildlife conservationist Steve Irwin, about his favourite African animal as they walked up the hill, and a short video of the chat was posted on social media.
The prince said: “It’s a really tough question. My children ask me this regularly. I think I’m going to have to say the cheetah… Yeah, I love cheetahs. Fantastic animals.”
Mr Irwin, an ambassador for the Earthshot Prize, replied: “Cheetahs (are) OK. Very cool, very cool… It’s chameleons for me. The unsung hero. I love them.”
William took in the views from the summit of Signal Hill and posed at the look-out spot with young volunteer conservationists, Geordin Hill-Lewis, mayor of the City of Cape Town, and Irwin.
Signal Hill is part of the wider Table Mountain National Park, one of a number of areas making up the Cape Flora Region which was declared a world heritage site by Unesco in 2004.
The park has a team of rangers who deal with a range of issues from combating environmental crime on Table Mountain, dealing with visitor safety, and tackling abalone poaching, part of organised crime.
Speaking after the visit, Mr Irwin said: “You just can’t help but fall in love with this place. Prince William, myself and everyone here have certainly fallen in love with Cape Town. It’s a beautiful location and the conservation work being done here… it just fills my heart with hope.
“I really loved having a conversation with Prince William about the importance of support for rangers. They are on the front line of conservation and you have to remember that these days conservation can be a dangerous business.”
Referring to the Earthshot Prize, he said: “I think Prince William’s idea behind Earthshot is fantastic.
“For the first time, we have an environmental movement on a scale we have never seen before.
“And it’s putting money where it is needed most and leading with a sense of positivity.”
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