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Prince William protest© Getty

Prince William heckled by protestors during last day of Cape Town visit

The Prince of Wales visited Kalk Bay Harbour 

HELLO!
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
Deputy Online Editor
Updated: November 7, 2024
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On the final day of his visit to Cape Town, Prince William found himself unexpectedly at the centre of a tense moment when a couple of protesters began shouting  and holding up placards during an official engagement.

But the Prince remained composed and carried on with his engagement, joined by stars Heidi Klum, Winnie Harlow and Billy Porter as he learned about sustainable fishing in Kalk Bay and enjoyed al fish braii lunch with members of the local community.

William arrived at the harbour on a boat, having met with a sea rescue workers earlier in the day at Simon's Town Harbour. The Prince was greeted warmly by large, cheering crowds as he arrived in Kalk Bay, with many waving South African flags in a show of support.

Prince William holding a fish© Phil Noble/Pool/Shutterstock
Prince William during a visit to Kalk Bay Harbour in Cape Town

The royal embarked on an impromptu walkabout, shaking hands with dozens of locals and sharing his gratitude for the time he had spent in South Africa. "It's been the most amazing few days," he told the crowd. "I really don't want to leave."

However, the mood shifted slightly in the crowd when a pair of protesters began to raise their voices, with one bystander shouting: "Go home, you're not welcome." Another held up a sign with the words: "William, you have no sovereignty in this country."

It marked the first time protesters had appeared during his visit. Carol Byss from Cape Town told HELLO!: "We love the whole royal family, we're so proud he's here.

"There's a time and a place, we’re so blessed to have him. To cause a scene like this is a shock. We’re so thrilled he’s here and he’s leaving today. He's got enough to worry about, we think."

A protestor shouting © Victoria Jones/Shutterstock
The Prince was met with protestors when he arrived

Meanwhile, some of the local fishermen and women said they all were angry because they were not included in the engagement. William met the 2023 Earthshot finalist, Abalobi, during his time on the harbour. 

Duwayne Baulse, who has been a fisherman for 15 years since he left school, said afterwards: “They aren’t based here and they don’t buy our fish. People only come here when it is sunny. We are here in the rain and storms.

Prince William takes part in traditional fish brai lunch© Getty
The Prince took part in a traditional fish brai lunch with Heidi Klum, Winnie Harlow, Billy Porter and Tobe Nwigwe

"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 harbour.

"We are not angry with him (William). We want people to come here more often. Not this set up."

Despite the protests, the Prince remained composed, showing his deep appreciation for the warmth of the South African people as he prepared to depart.

WATCH: Protestors gather on Prince William's final day

During the walkabout, William was presented with several beaded key rings, specially made by Kate Wardle, 46, from Kalk Bay. She handed him two in the shape of the letters W and C, along with three animal-shaped ones for his children.

"Thank you very much, they’ll love these," Prince William said with a smile. "Never go home empty-handed, that's important."

A protestor holding a sign that reads 'William, you have no sovereignity in our country'© Victoria Jones/Shutterstock
The protestors held signs as Prince William arrived

As he continued to interact with the crowd, the Prince shared his affection for Cape Town: "I love this place. It’s been such an amazing week here - I’ve really enjoyed it, and I don’t want to go!" He added: "My children would love to be here, and so would Catherine."

After the engagement, Abalobi executives addressed the small but vocal protest. Serge Raemaekers, the co-founder of Abalobi, said: "I have a feeling that the noise in the background was very much around the fact that we haven't reached these fishing communities yet. We're still a relatively small programme trying to scale and as you can see here there are quite a lot of boats with fishermen and fisherwomen that come from a lot of different areas. 

"Through apartheid and post-apartheid there's no fishing community here anymore. There's a whole bunch of fishers who are able to have their boat here but they live far and wide. We haven't been able to reach them all but we've started working with the cooperatives from Kalk Bay.

Prince William greeted by well-wishers during a visit to Kalk Bay Harbour© Getty
Prince William greeted by well-wishers during a visit to Kalk Bay Harbour

"I'm imagining that this fishery felt, 'Hey, I'm being left out here' and I understand. In the last couple of years small scale fishers have had a tricky engagement with obtaining fishing rights."

Earlier in the day, William met volunteers working for the National Seas Rescue Institute (NSRI) to hear about their lifesaving work and asked what inspired them to get involved.

Before donning a life jacket and heading out with the crew, he asked how choppy the water was and joked that he should possibly be wearing more kit so he did not get wet.

Prince William also revealed that he was trying to teach his three children about rip tides and admitted he wished his family had been with him for the four-day trip. He was asked by a member of the crew if he had ever done search and rescue work, he replied: "I miss this life. Any chance to get back, I'll take."

Prince William holding a fish © Phil Noble/Pool/Shutterstock
The Prince of Wales met with fisherman

It comes after William staged his Earthshot Prize ceremony in Cape Town on Wednesday night and dubbed his environmental awards as a "movement for change" and called on the world to join.

He will end his four-day visit to South Africa by meeting seaweed businesses from the region to celebrate local innovation, learn about the diverse applications of seaweed in Africa and the potential for it to repair and regenerate the planet.

The royal event will follow a roundtable discussion hosted by the Global Seaweed Coalition and the Earthshot Prize earlier in the day, which will bring together policy makers, funders, NGOs, scientists, and UN member states.

LISTEN: Prince William's biggest ambition yet

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