The Prince of Wales said he wanted "to champion the dreamers, the thinkers and the innovators from every walk of life, who share an ambition to build a better, more sustainable world" as he joined a star-studded line-up at the fourth Earthshot Prize Awards in Cape Town, South Africa.
The audience erupted in cheers as he opened and closed his speech with phrases in nine different African languages including Swahili, Zulu and Sesotho.
Flying the flag for sustainable fashion, William walked down the green carpet as he arrived, wearing a vintage blazer with an apt Prince of Wales check blazer, sourced from a local vintage store in London and sustainable trainers from Purified Shoes, which contain zero plastic and are biodegradable.
The glittering awards ceremony, which celebrates innovative ideas to "repair the planet" took place in a sustainable eco-dome, where guests included supermodels Heidi Klum and Winnie Harlow, and actor Billy Porter.
The 15 Earthshot finalists, whom Prince William met with earlier in the day at the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden, hail from the likes of France, Ghana, UK, Indonesia and Nepal.
The five categories, or Earthshots are: protect and restore nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a waste-free world; and fix our climate.
The ceremony was opened by composer and singer Lebo M, performing Circle Of Life from The Lion King in a pre-recorded performance from the top of Table Mountain.
Take a look at all of the best photos from the ceremony, as the Prince walks the green carpet before unveiling each of the five winners.
Prince William
Prince William arrived in style at the event wearing a vintage blazer sourced from a local store in London. The royal also wore sustainable shoes from Purified shoes, which contain zero plastic and are fully biodegradeable.
Mary Allen, from Natural Fiber Welding who make Purified Shoes said: "I had no idea Prince William was going to be wearing the shoes until just before we got here. It's such a huge honour.
"I was told he sourced them himself after learning of our product and it's a massive boost for us. Meeting all the finalists and being here is going to launch us onto massive things, we couldn't be prouder. Meeting Prince William today was a huge honour and you can sense the passion he has for this project."
Heidi Klum
Heidi Klum, wearing an orange vintage Halston dress, said she was “humbled” as she presented the award for the Fix Our Climate category. Advanced Thermovoltaic Systems (ATS), who have developed safe technology to capture waste heat and convert it into electricity, were named as the winners.
Nina Dobrev
Vampire Diaries star Nina Dobrev, who recently celebrated her engagement to Shaun White, looked beautiful in a strapless pink gown.
The Canadian actress unveiled the winner of the Revive Our Oceans category as High Ambition Coalition for Nature. The group aims to work with governments to protect 30% of the planet’s ocean by 2030
Tobe Nwigwe
Actor Tobe Nwigwe announced the winner of Build a Waste-Free World as Keep IT Cool, a Kenyan based company using solar powered refrigeration to help cut harvest waste for farmers.
Winnie Harlow
Supermodel Winnie Harlow revealed the winner of the Protect & Restore Nature category as Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative.
On the green carpet, Winnie said of her involvement at the Earthshot Prize Awards: “I was really honoured to get a royal letter asking if I could come here. I felt really honoured because I feel this should be something near and dear to everyone’s heart when it comes to taking care of Mother Earth, the planet. I always think it’s an honour.
Talking of William’s involvement, she added: “I think it’s important for everyone to get involved just especially when you have got eyes on you. You want to help focus a lot of eyes on things that are important to everyone.”
Tendai Mtawarira
Former South African rugby player Tendai Mtawarira, known as The Beast, presented the final award to GAYO in the Clean Our Air category.
Earlier in the week, Tendai, who is the most capped prop in Springbok history, joined Prince William as he played touch rugby with young players at Ocean View School.
Robert Irwin
William spent several hours with Robert on Tuesday, and the son of conservationist Steve Irwin rocked a tuxedo as he arrived for on the green carpet.
Billy Porter
POSE star Billy looked sensational in his unique black and white suit.
LISTEN: Is this Prince William's biggest ambition to date?
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