When Prince William is in Singapore, he is focused. On Monday, he participated in a less formal gathering, but on Tuesday night, he is scheduled to reveal the most recent recipients of the Earthshot Prize. He entered a dragon boat race on the Kallang River, which had some of Singapore’s most famous sights as a stunning backdrop.
His efforts paid off, as the British Dragons Dragon Boat Racing Team won the competition. A crew of 22 people competes in the historic sport of dragon boat racing, which dates back more than 2,000 years. Twenty paddlers face the front of the boat, a drummer at the front, and a steerer at the back.
Prince William joined a mixed-gender crew of fourteen different nationalities for this fun event, including eight Commonwealth countries: the UK, Singapore, India, Nigeria/Malawi, Canada, Australia, and South Africa. The British High Commissioner to Singapore, Kara Owen, led the side they faced off against.
Prince William’s diplomatic meeting with various leaders
After the race, Prince William met with the high commissioners of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Papua New Guinea, all of whom had King Charles as their head of state, and had breakfast with the British team.
Prince William met with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and President Tharman Shanmugaratnam during his diplomatic visit.
The purpose of these gatherings was to thank Singapore for hosting the Earthshot Prize and to commemorate the close relationship between the UK and Singapore. The prince also talked about how Earthshot fits into Singapore’s sustainability goal and his long-term vision for the project.
Prince William had a great tour in Singapore
After arriving in Singapore on Sunday, Prince William stated his joy to be going back to the nation, which he previously visited in 2012 with his wife, Kate Middleton. He called on others to emulate Singapore’s dedication to environmental innovation.
He also visited the Jewel, a nature-themed facility connected to one of the airport’s terminals that has the HSBC Rain Vortex, the tallest indoor waterfall in the world. During a walkabout, he engaged with well-wishers, snapped selfies, and even let an 8-month-old infant chew on his finger.
Later that day, he took part in the United for Wildlife Global Summit, which brought together global leaders in the fields of conservation, politics, law enforcement, and business to talk about ways to stop illegal wildlife trafficking.
Why Kate Middleton Isn’t Joining Prince William on His Singapore Journey?
For his journey to Singapore, Prince William explained why Kate Middleton was not there. During a Monday speech, he stated that Prince George’s education was a major familial reason why his wife was unable to accompany him. She was helping their son with his important tests, Prince William said in his apology on her behalf.
Taking into account their son’s academic obligations, Prince William decided to visit Singapore by himself. Kate Middleton had been to the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony for the previous two years, but this was the first time she would miss it. The Earthshot Prize was founded by Prince William in 2020 to recognize creative responses to environmental problems. Prizes will be given out until 2030.
The prince reminisced about his spectacular 11-year-old journey to Singapore on his previous visit with Kate. They represented Queen Elizabeth on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee during that tour.
Prince William is in Singapore for the third annual Earthshot Prize and to promote his United For Wildlife program, which tries to keep the natural world safe from exploitation by unscrupulous groups. He cited a nearly 70% loss in wildlife numbers over the last 50 years in his statement at the United for Wildlife summit, in which he harshly lambasted the greed and exploitation to blame for the dramatic decline in wildlife populations.
In addition, he cited specific cases of rhino poaching. He underlined the significance of addressing the issue at its root, which includes the markets and financial institutions that support the demand for illicit wildlife products.
