Prince William has announced that he will visit Vietnam in November to attend a series of engagements close to his heart – wildlife conservation.
The Duke of Cambridge will travel without his wife Kate, or his children Prince George and Princess Charlotte, on 17 November. He will stay in Hanoi for two days to attend the third International Wildlife Trade Conference at the invitation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
William, who is President of United for Wildlife, will also have the opportunity to engage with local people and leaders in conservation while visiting the country.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince William gave a speech at Tusk's Time For Change event in London
The Queen's grandson confirmed his trip as he was giving a keynote speech at Tusk's Time For Change event in London on Thursday.
William, who was addressing crowds on World Rhino Day, is royal patron of the Tusk Trust. He regularly speaks out against the illegal wildlife trade.
"When I was born, there were one million elephants roaming Africa. By the time my daughter Charlotte was born last year, the numbers of savannah elephants had crashed to just 350,000," he said. "And at the current pace of illegal poaching, when Charlotte turns 25 the African elephant will be gone from the wild."
© Photo: Getty ImagesWilliam said: "Rhinos face extinction in our lifetimes as we struggle to correct lies about the supposed benefits of using its horn as a drug"
"And the risk is not just to elephants," he said. "Today is World Rhino Day. A species that, due to demand for its horn, is being killed at a rate of nearly three animals a day. Rhinos face extinction in our lifetimes as we struggle to correct lies about the supposed benefits of using its horn as a drug."
William went on to say that the crisis extends to people, to some of the world's most vulnerable families.
"It is families in the world's most vulnerable regions who suffer when two rangers are killed every week on the frontline of this fight," said the Prince. "It is fragile democratic systems in many nations that are at risk from the scourge of violence and corruption that the illegal wildlife trade fuels.
© Photo: Getty Images"When Charlotte turns 25 the African elephant will be gone from the wild," he said
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am not prepared to be part of a generation that lets these iconic species disappear from the wild. I am not prepared to explain to our children why we lost this battle when we had the tools to win it."
The future King concluded his speech by saying that leaders around the world can send a clear message – that ivory is a symbol of destruction, not of luxury, and rhino horn does not cure anything and does not need a legal market.
