The Prince of Wales, 42, was in Kalk Bay, Cape Town, when two demonstrators shouted “go home now” as they approached him. One of the protesters held a sign reading: “William, you have no sovereignty in our country.”
This incident marked the only disruption during Prince William’s four-day visit for the 2024 Earthshot Awards, which included the ceremony the night before, on November 6, where William appeared on the green carpet.
Despite the chants against him, the Prince continued with his engagements without being fazed, while supporters attempted to drown out the protests with cheers of “William we love you, we love you William.”
The protesters, who mingled with the crowd of well-wishers, made their presence known over an hour into the prince’s visit, which was focused on meeting local fishermen and highlighting the work of 2023 Earthshot Finalist Abalobi.
In addition to the protest, one demonstrator shouted at the Prince, urging him to “hand back what your grandmother stole from us.”
Local fishermen, including Rifiek Isaac, deputy chair of a small-scale fishing cooperative, expressed frustration that they were not invited to meet the Prince.
Isaac noted that Abalobi, the group chosen for the engagement, did not represent the local fishermen.
“We would have loved to meet the Prince. It’s not about him. We don’t like that company using our harbour. We fish here,” he said.
