Britain’s Prince William is to address 100 million Chinese people about the pitfalls of illegal wildlife trading.
The 33-year-old royal has been asked to speak on TV show ‘Let’s Talk’, which is broadcasted across China, in a prerecorded segment expected to be filmed at the Maughan Library at King’s College London.
A source said: "This is a chance for him to speak to the people of China, in their homes, and that makes it a little bit more personal than a speech.
"He will be telling them that putting an end to this crisis can be achieved."
The Duke of Cambridge will be interviewed first by the show’s presenter before he is joined by panellists Sir David Attenborough, Bear Grylls, and Yao Ming.
Charlie Mayhew, the chief executive of the Tusk Trust, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "I think this is a big moment. The Chinese clearly have respect for Prince William on this particular issue and since his visit in March we have seen a very significant step by President Xi in saying they will close down the domestic ivory trade.
"For him to be able to engage with a wider Chinese audience is really quite significant. We who work in conservation really feel there is a real sense of momentum that didn’t exist even two years ago.
"If we can turn the tap off in China that will really signal the end of this awful trade because it would no longer be worth it financially for the international organised criminals. China also has a huge influence over other Asian countries, like Vietnam, that are also major markets for illegal wildlife products."
Britain’s Prince William to address 100m about illegal wildlife trading
