The Prince of Wales has urged the world not to be distracted by "turbulent times" and lose sight of the importance of protecting the natural world in an apparent dig at the Prime Minister.
William made the comments at the Tusk Conservation Awards last night, and at that time Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was not planning to attend the upcoming Cop27 climate change summit.
Downing Street said Mr Sunak was focusing on "depressing domestic challenges".
And at the awards ceremony held at Hampton Court Palace and attended by celebrity supporters like singer Katherine Jenkins and Dragon’s Den star Deborah Meaden, William said: "We are living through turbulent times and it is all too easy to lose sight of how critical it is that we look after our natural world.
"But we must remain focused on investing in nature and the environment, protecting it for future generations.
"We must not pass on the baton to our children and grandchildren, apologising for our lack of collective action."
However, just hours after William's words, today Mr Sunak reversed his decision to skip Cop27 and confirmed he will attend the climate summit in Egypt next week.
The Prime Minister wrote on Twitter that there was "no long-term prosperity without action on climate change", and no energy security without investing in renewables, as he confirmed he would attend this year's UN talks.
Meanwhile at last night's Tusk Awards, among the winners was Ian Craig, the father of Jecca Craig, rumoured to have dated William, who was a joint recipient of the Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa, a lifetime achievement honour.
Mr Craig, who was brought up in Kenya, converted his family’s 62,000-acre cattle ranch into a rhino sanctuary at the peak of the elephant and rhino poaching epidemic.
It flourished and was later re-established as the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy where William and his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton spent the summer in 2005.
He is now the chief of conservation at the Northern Rangelands Trust, a grassroots conservation organisation he helped spearhead, which today has 43 member conservancies and works to enhance the lives of local residents and safeguard wildlife.
His daughter paid tribute to her father in a video outlining his achievements saying: "He does what he loves every day."
The lifetime achievement award was shared with Achilles Brunnei Byaruhanga, executive director of Nature Uganda, the leading membership-based conservation organisation in Uganda, championing the protection of birds and their habitats.
The Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award went to Neddy Mulimbo, senior ranger at the Specialist Anti-Poaching Unit in Mumbwa, Zambia.
For over 35 years, he has played a crucial role in developing anti-poaching operations, spending long periods away from his family, battling malaria and putting his personal safety at risk during night patrols against heavily armed poachers.
Miguel Goncalves, park warden in Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas, won the Tusk Award for Conservation in Africa in recognition of his success as an emerging leader.
Under his direction, the Maputo National Park has been transformed from a hunting ground to a protected and recovering ecosystem.
The awards are celebrating their 10th anniversary and are staged by the Africa-based wildlife conservation organisation Tusk Trust, which William supports as patron.
