Prince William’s solo trip to South Africa suddenly took a turn for the worse on its last day when the royal was faced with protesters. Kate Middleton’s husband was also snapped looking gloomy during his visit to Cape Town, suggesting that spending time away from his family was weighing him down.
On the final day of his South African trip, William took the time to visit a fishing community on Kalk Bay Harbour and speak with the fishermen there about their sustainable methods for catching fish in the area.
As the British heir arrived, he was greeted by a huge crowd of people waiting for him in Kalk Bay, with several of them holding South African flags to show their support for him. William quickly engaged with the people who had waited for him, shaking hands and talking to them after reaching the harbor.
Interestingly, while William was interacting with the supporters of the Royal Family and telling them that he no longer wanted to leave after spending “the most amazing few days” in South Africa, he stumbled upon two to three protesters in the crowd.
“Go home, you’re not welcome,” one of the protesters shouted toward the royal, according to Hello! Another carried a placard that read, “William, you have no sovereignty in this country.”
King Charles’ older son did not have time to pay attention to the negativity, however, since he was meeting with the 2023 Earthshot finalist, Abalobi, during his visit. He also had lunch with a group of celebrities, including Heidi Klum, Billy Porter, Tobe Nwigwe, and Winnie Harlow, and they got to taste a traditional fish dish called “braai.”
Unfortunately, William’s royal engagement continued to be plagued by complaints from some fishermen and women who felt excluded even though they best represented the people in the harbor.
“They have excluded us. William has not come to look at our fish. No one told us the Prince was coming. Abalobi don’t support us. This is our harbor,” Duwayne Baulse, a local fisherman, was quoted as saying by Hello!
Baulse clarified that they were not mad at the royal but at the organizers who excluded them from the engagement.
In response, Abalobe executives explained that as a “relatively small” program, they have yet to really build a connection with all the local fishing communities in the area. However, they have already begun working with Kalk Bay cooperatives to address this.
Meanwhile, William remained composed while carrying out his engagement despite the protests. He focused more on the positive aspects of the trip and even showed appreciation to the locals who presented him with gifts, including beaded key rings specially made for him and his wife, Kate, and their children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.
“Thank you very much, they’ll love these. Never go home empty-handed, that’s important,” he said while accepting the heartfelt souvenirs.
A day before he visited Kalk Bay, William stopped by the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden. While touring the garden, he was snapped by photographers looking somber. The resulting photos looked haunting as the royal is seen walking alone in nature while in deep thought, with some leaves covering some parts of the shots.
PureWow, which shared the photos online, surmised that William could have been thinking about the Earthshot Prize ceremony later that day as he stared into the distance. Or, he could be missing his family already since he had to spend four days away from them during his South Africa trip.
It is worth noting that for the royal trip, William brought along a special item from one of his kids. Since arriving in South Africa, the royal dad has been spotted wearing a one-of-a-kind bling — a friendship bracelet featuring the word “Papa.” The heir said he got it from Princess Charlotte, who has developed a hobby of making friendship bracelets since attending Taylor Swift’s concert in London.
William has been seen wearing it in public and has remarked that he makes sure not to lose his daughter’s heartfelt gift. Liked as a royal or not, the Prince of Wales is certainly leading life as a proud father.