Monaco

Prince William made a significant solo appearance in Monaco on June 8, stepping into an increasingly prominent international role with a compelling call to protect the world’s oceans. Speaking at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum, held on the eve of World Oceans Day, the Prince of Wales addressed a distinguished audience that included French President Emmanuel Macron, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles, and Prince Albert of Monaco.

The forum, hosted at the Grimaldi Forum, marked a pivotal moment in the global environmental calendar as the international community looks ahead to the 2025 UN Ocean Conference. William’s participation underscored his rising stature as a global statesman and environmental leader.

Oceans are not a niche concern; they are a foundation of life, William emphasized in his address. Highlighting that oceans cover 70% of Earth’s surface, generate half of its oxygen, and sustain over 3 billion people, he stressed the urgency of protecting marine ecosystems. Currently, only 3% of the ocean is protected; far from the global target of 30% by 2030.

The Prince’s appearance comes amid King Charles’ ongoing cancer treatment, during which William has increasingly taken on high-profile responsibilities. A dedicated conservationist like his father, William is using his global platform to advance critical environmental causes, with ocean conservation now central to his mission.

His Monaco speech is being viewed as both a powerful statement on marine protection and a signal of his expanding diplomatic role, as the British monarchy continues to evolve in response to global challenges.

The Prince of Wales has warned that the ocean floor is “diminishing before our eyes” and is calling for ambitious action “on a global, national and local level”.

Prince William spoke in both English and French as he laid out the risk to the world’s oceans at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco on Sunday.

“Watching human activity reduce beautiful sea forests to barren deserts at the base of our oceans is heartbreaking,” he said at the Grimaldi Forum, named after Monaco’s royal family.

“For many, it is an urgent wake up call to just what is going on in our oceans. But it can no longer be a matter of ‘out of sight, out of mind’.”

Prince William has urged world leaders to “act together with urgency” in order to protect the planet’s oceans.

He delivered a speech on Sunday saying how important oceans are for our environment and that more money needs to be spent to preserve them.

The prince was speaking in Monaco at a special event ahead of the United Nations (UN) Oceans Conference in Nice, France.

On Sunday, Prince William appealed to global leaders and businesses to urgently address the pressing issues facing the world’s oceans. His remarks come in the lead-up to the U.N. Ocean Conference set to begin in France, underscoring the immense challenges posed by rising sea temperatures, plastic pollution, and overfishing.

Speaking at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco, William emphasized that what once appeared to be an inexhaustible resource is now under severe threat. He urged coordinated global efforts to rejuvenate the ocean’s health, stressing action must be taken immediately.

The U.N. conference this week aims to secure more ratifications for a biodiversity protection treaty. William, as the founder of the Earthshot Prize, also released a video discussion with nature broadcaster David Attenborough, discussing the devastating impact humans have had on the deep ocean floor.

(With inputs from agencies.)

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain’s Prince William on Sunday called on world leaders and businesses to take urgent action to protect the planet’s oceans, saying it was a challenge “like none we have faced before”.

Speaking ahead of the U.N. Ocean Conference, which begins in France on Monday, William said rising sea temperatures, plastic pollution and overfishing were putting pressure on fragile ecosystems and the people who depend on them.

“What once seemed an abundant resource is diminishing before our eyes,” William, heir to the British throne, told the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco.

“Put simply: the ocean is under enormous threat, but it can revive itself. But, only if together, we act now,” he told the meeting of investors and policymakers.

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This week’s U.N. conference aims to get more countries to ratify a treaty on protecting ocean biodiversity which currently lacks sufficient signatories to come into force.

William addressed Sunday’s gathering in his role as founder of the Earthshot Prize, launched by the prince in 2020 with the aim of making huge strides to tackle environmental problems within a decade.

On Saturday, William’s office released a video of him talking to David Attenborough, one of the world’s best-known nature broadcasters, about his latest documentary “Ocean” which examines the plight of the seas.

“The thing which I am appalled by, when I first saw the shots that were taken for this film are what we have done to the deep ocean floor,” Attenborough told him. “If you did anything remotely like it on land, everybody would be up in arms.”

(Reporting by Michael Holden;Editing by Helen Popper)