The Prince of Wales will travel to Africa next week for the first time since a rhino-spotting trek in Namibia inspired him to launch the Earthshot Prize.

At the time, six years ago, Prince William was frustrated by the “pessimism and despair” of the global debate over climate change, a Kensington Palace spokesman revealed.

The divisive nature of political fighting contrasted sharply with the optimism and determination he witnessed in local communities during that 2018 tour of Namibia, Tanzania and Kenya, and the “innovative solutions” being created on the ground.

A “fleeting glance” of a rare black rhino five hours into a 5am trek with a team of wildlife rangers planted the seed of an idea. 

Just one year later, the Earthshot Prize, the “most ambitious environmental prize in history”, was born.

The Prince is now preparing to make a long-awaited return to the continent, where he will preside over the fourth annual Earthshot award ceremony in Cape Town.

The star-studded event is said to “go above and beyond” anything he has done before.

He has enlisted the help of supermodels Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow to fly the flag for the awards at Cape Town.

And as well as unveiling the latest cohort of Earthshot winners, the heir to the throne will seek to create a legacy that stretches well beyond his four-day visit, with packages of support to be unveiled for communities across the continent.

“Despite contributing the least to global warming and having the lowest emissions, Africa is the most vulnerable continent to the impact of climate change,” a Kensington Palace spokesman said.

“Yet, in the face of these challenges, nearly all African countries are committed to enhancing climate action through reducing their greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience.”

Since 2021, almost 700 African solutions have been nominated for an Earthshot Prize, with nearly one in five of all finalists founded, or operating, in Africa. A third of this year’s finalists are from the continent.

The Prince is said to be “extremely excited” to be returning to Africa, once fondly described as his “second home”, for what will be his first overseas trip this year.

His aim is to highlight the “innovation, entrepreneurship and creativity” being harnessed across the region in a bid to tackle the environmental crisis.

To that end, he will deliver two speeches and meet more than 100 young environmentalists as well as park rangers, conservationists and fishermen. 

He will have an audience with Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African president, play some rugby, attend a United for Wildlife summit, take to the water with sea rescue volunteers and enjoy some local cuisine at a traditional fish braai in Kalk Bay Harbour.

The week’s set piece event, however, will be the award ceremony.

For the first time, a bespoke “eco dome” has been built for the occasion and will play host to a 2,000-strong crowd.

The “totally reusable and recyclable” outdoor venue has been erected on Green Point Shared Fields, overlooking the waterfront, and is powered by renewable energy from a local wind farm.

The ceremony will be preceded by a green carpet event like no other, which will also be broadcast live on YouTube. 

The “very lively” 90-minute show will be hosted by Nigerian television presenter Ebuka Obi-Uchendu and South African rapper Moozlie, who have a combined social media following of 9.5 million, and will focus on sustainability, profiling innovations in green fashion.

The effort to reach all corners of Africa will see the ceremony broadcast live across the entire continent for the first time.

Hannah Jones, chief executive of the Earthshot Prize, said the show would be “spectacular”.

In a separate development, it emerged that Earthshot has partnered with British Airways, which will be highlighting next week’s events on its flights from London to South Africa in the coming days.

The company is in talks with Earthshot finalists Notpla, about the potential use of its seaweed packaging for airline catering, and Enso, which could provide sustainable tyres for its fleet of electric vehicles.

For the second consecutive year, the Prince will be flying solo after the Princess of Wales opted to stay at home to prioritise her recovery following cancer treatment.

The Princess missed last year’s award ceremony in Singapore, citing the need to support Prince George through school tests.