Prince William reveals his ‘implausible’ favorite African animal throughout walkabout with Steve Irwin’s son in Cape Town – as he meets South African President earlier than Earthshot Prize

Prince William joked that he would try not to ‘wipe myself out in front of everybody’ today as he enjoyed the spectacular views of Cape Town and Table Mountain.

The Prince of Wales went on a walk with Australian conservationist Robert Irwin, 20-year-old son of the late Steve Irwin, on the second day of his visit to South Africa.

William – who is in the country for a four-day visit centred around the Earthshot Prize awards tomorrow – traversed a rocky climb as he walked up Signal Hill and quipped as he spied the waiting media: ‘I’ll try not to wipe myself out in front of everybody.’

And Irwin later tweeted a video of him with William, in which he asked the prince what his ‘favourite African animal’ was. William replied: ‘Oh, it’s a tough question, it’s a really tough question. My children ask me this regularly. I think I’m going to have to say the cheetah. Fantastic animal.’ Irwin then said his favourite was the chameleon.

The prince also spoke with park rangers, firefighters, mountain rescue volunteers, biodiversity experts and youth volunteers in front of the scenic backdrop.

They told him about the diversity of fauna and flora and the work they do to protect the environment while ensuring residents and tourists are able to enjoy the area.

William, 42, was met upon his arrival by Megan Taplin, park manager for Table Mountain National Park, and they also went on a walk to discuss local biodiversity.

He also met Cape Town City Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Bathandwa Diniso, a youth representative for South Africa National Parks (SANParks) Honorary Rangers.

Along with a group of young people from the Mayine e-Africa group, they together discussed encouraging the importance of getting young people to visit the park.

Later, the prince held a high-level meeting with South Africa’s president Cyril Ramaphosa, which was described as a ‘follow-up’ to the state visit made to the UK by Mr Ramaphosa in 2022. 

The heir to the throne also continued his theme of wearing sustainable clothing on the four-day visit, and was today sporting a shirt by EcoAlf and a jacket by Rapanui.

Signal Hill is part of the wider Table Mountain National Park and is a biodiversity hotspot thanks to its rare and endangered plants including the unique fynbos.

William asked Ms Taplin: ‘How difficult is it to balance the tourism with the biodiversity and wildlife? All the hard work you guys do makes it look like it does now. Stunning.’

The royal was told that while it is rare for bigger game to come down to the fynbos, which is not particularly nutrient rich, it is a haven for bird and insect life.

‘Well, it’s looking spectacular at the moment,’ he said.

Along the route the prince met several groups of rangers who work to protect the unique biodiversity of the area, as well as hikers and the tourists who visit.

‘What a stunning spot to meet you guys in. Look at this, it’s amazing,’ he said, looking out over the coastline.

Asking about the effects of climate change, William said: ‘And what are you seeing in terms of impact in the park? Are you seeing more flash flooding?

Speaking to rangers who now have a team of seven dogs to help them in their work, the prince stopped to hello to Lia, a Dutch Shepherd dog, who was taking advantage of the moment to lie down.

Smiling, William said: ‘Take your time, it’s not a problem. That’s how we should all be today. She knows we’re not a threat so she’s taking some zzzs while she can.’

He was told that the dogs are a ‘critical’ part of the team because they have ‘a much better sense of danger than we do’.

Bending down to stroke her head the prince said fondly: ‘Morning, sleepy are we today?’ Lia’s handler said she was ‘very calm’.

The prince was told about Lia’s work protecting abalone, a sea snail prized as a delicacy in the Far East, which are under threat from poaching because they have become so valuable.

William also spoke intently about the work the rangers do, which is often low paid and dangerous. ‘You guys put yourself at risk keeping wildlife and tourists safe,’ he said.

Speaking to a group of volunteer firefighters, he added: ‘What can we do, what technology would be really useful for you guys to stop the fires, especially with the wind up here?

‘Presumably prevention management is better than putting a fire out? How do we help you to work out new solutions?’

He was told that visitors to the area were a ‘soft target’ for criminals because they often carried expensive equipment and the perpetrators could escape easily back into urban areas.

Asked how his trip had been so far, William said: ‘Yesterday was awesome. There was a lot of energy in the room. A lot of solutions.’

He and Irwin also chatted with Mr Hill-Lewis about how ‘amazing’ the surf looked and how ‘cage diving’ with sharks that is popular in the area.

William said he was ‘fascinated’ by the creatures but didn’t appear keen to try it himself, saying: ‘On a boat, maybe, but not in the water. I see great whites on the TV and that’s enough!’

Before posing for a group picture in front of the iconic view of Table Mountain from Signal Hill, the prince spoke to a group of young people from Mayine e-Africa about the importance of encouraging young people to visit the park.

‘How do you feel about being in the outdoor and nature?’ William asked. ‘Do you want to be rangers when you grow up? It’s beautiful out here, look after it guys.’

Speaking afterwards, Irwin said of his meeting with the prince: ‘You can instantly tell that passion the rangers and volunteers have here on the ground here at Signal Hill rubs off on everyone. 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 is 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.

‘And it’s really nice to know that Prince William is ensuring rangers are valued and they get the resources and the support they need. Very encouraging steps in the right direction. It’s great that William is putting himself behind this. Protecting the environment is about protecting people too.’

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. It’s the beacon, it’s this light we can all strive towards.

‘We can absolutely address the big issues we are facing globally but we are also rewarding the innovations and celebrating the great work being done. And it makes a very hopeful atmosphere that young people can grow up in.’

Ms Taplin also spoke of her delight at William’s visit, saying: ‘It was really important to raise global awareness of the conservation issues that are being faced and the important role our national parks play in preserving the unique biodiversity in all different areas of the world, and particularly here. It was also great for Prince William to meet our rangers and hear about the work they do and the challenges they face on a daily basis.

‘They face a lot of challenges in law enforcement and combating environmental crime here on Table Mountain. We also deal with a lot of visitors safety. Abalone poaching is an organised crime network and they deal with this on a daily basis.

‘I think Prince William was really struck by the biodiversity here. We were talking about the diversity of skills our rangers need when tackling the challenges here. I think he was very impressed by the dedicated work they are putting in.

‘I hope he comes and brings his family back here. I wish had longer time together to go hiking up the mountain. But I am sure he will come back and bring his family. ‘

Later, the prince will give a major speech on nature, the environment and his support for wildlife rangers at the start of a two-day summit for United for Wildlife, his umbrella organisation combating the illegal trafficking of animals.

The future king began a four-day visit to Cape Town yesterday and during the coming days will take part in a series of events shining a light on young African climate activists and promoting his Earthshot Prize awards ceremony.

Dubbed the prince’s ‘Super Bowl‘ moment, the prize-giving event tomorrow will recognise environmental solutions to ‘repair’ the planet, with five category winners each receiving £1million to ‘scale up’ their plans.

The prince and the president will sit down for talks later and be joined by Foreign Secretary David Lammy, in the country for a meeting with his South African counterpart Ronald Lamola.

Antony Phillipson, Britain’s high commissioner to South Africa, said about the royal visit: ‘I would just highlight that we are actually delighted to have the Prince of Wales here this week for Earthshot week, and we will be taking the opportunity of doing some bilateral events with him, and for him.’

He added: ‘We very much see this as a follow-up to the state visit … which we continue to see here as a very historic moment between the UK and South Africa.’

William will also attend Earthshot+, a day of conversations with world-leading experts aimed at enhancing the impact of the Earthshot Prize, with the event featuring a young environmentalist, an Earthshot trustee and Mr Lammy, among others.