A charitable organization Prince William has been patron of for nearly 20 years held a Hamptons gala on Aug. 15 that raised funds for the organization.
The Prince of Wales, long a supporter of the continent of Africa and issues pertaining to it,
has been patron of Tusk Trust since 2005 — one of the very first organizations he put his name behind.
Tusk Trust, founded in 1990, is buoyed by its mission of advancing wildlife conservation across Africa and funds the protection of African lion,
rhinoceros and elephant species across the continent.
The nonprofit hosted The Footprint of Life Gala at the home of Amy and Gary Green in Bridgehampton,
where Ludacris and the London Electronic Orchestra performed at the environmentally-themed “50 Shades of Blue” soiree.
The money raised at the gala will “support the work of wildlife rangers across Africa and also the rollout of our environmental education program,” Tusk Trust CEO Charlie Mayhew told PEOPLE exclusively. The education program reaches about 500,000 children annually, Mayhew added.
Tusk Trust was one of the first two charities Prince William became patron of, Mayhew said, teaming up with the organization when he was just 23 years old.
“He is very knowledgeable and passionate about conservation and the environment,” Mayhew said. “He has a particular love for Africa. He has been incredibly supportive as our patron and proactive in supporting us. We find ourselves incredibly lucky.”
Mayhew plans to meet up with Prince William in Cape Town, South Africa, when the Prince of Wales hosts the fourth annual Earthshot Prize Awards there in November. Soon enough, the Prince of Wales will want to introduce his three children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — to the continent, Mayhew said.
“I think it won’t be long before, you know, he will want to introduce them to Africa,” he said.
Prince William told CNN that Africa “first got under his skin” during a trip to Kenya when he was 17, the outlet wrote, and fatherhood has only strengthened his resolve to protect it.
“Suddenly you start thinking of, like, wow, there is stuff you want to safeguard for the future,” he said. “I’ve always believed it, but to actually feel it as well, it’s coming through powerfully now as well.”
Africa means so much to the royal that he chose to propose to Kate Middleton there in 2010.
“I just knew I wanted it to feel comfortable where I did it, and I wanted it to mean something, other than just the act of getting engaged,” Prince William said of asking for her hand in marriage in Kenya. “She understands what it means to me, being in Africa, and my love of conservation.”
Amy Green, who hosted the gala at her home, said her own two daughters are the reason she became so passionate about supporting Tusk Trust. When she had them, “I knew the importance of protecting our planet for future generations,” she told PEOPLE. “I realized I had to do it for them.”
Driving home a need for attention to environmentalism, Mayhew told PEOPLE that over the last 50 years, the planet has lost 68% of all mammals, birds and fish, “and we can’t afford to continue to lose species and biodiversity at such an alarming rate,” he said. “So, in the case of Africa, which is our specialty, Africa is home to 25% of the world’s biodiversity, so it’s crucial that we look after it.”
He continued, “Ultimately, our own human survival on this planet relies on the natural world.”
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Source: USA Today
