Ronnie Wood may have won a new Rolling Stones fan after encouraging the Prince of Wales to watch the band’s tour while celebrating environmentalists in London.
The guitarist for Prince William and the Stones spoke Monday at the 11th annual Tusk Conservation Awards, which recognize leading wildlife pioneers.
The band recently released their new album, Hackney Diamonds, and it looks like Prince took the opportunity to discuss the new music with Wood.
The 76-year-old musician described their discussion: “We were talking about the tour and I said ‘come on, you should go on tour’ and we were talking about the new album and everything.
“William said he would if we could get Taylor Swift there.”
Wood said he told Prince that Swift had previously sung with Sir Mick Jagger, to which William replied: “Then I’m there.”
He also joked about the ages of the Rolling Stones band members, saying: “With an old band like ours, we needed to talk about preservation.”
The awards, held at the Savoy Hotel in London, are organized by the Tusk Trust, which the Prince has supported as patron since 2005.
In his opening speech on Monday evening, William warned there should be “no pause” in collective efforts to stop the “horrific” loss of species and habitats across Africa.
He also used his address to issue a reminder of the “disproportionate loss and damage from climate change” facing the continent.
“There should be no interruption in our collective efforts to stop the terrible loss of species and habitats we are all witnessing,” he said.
On Monday evening, three people were presented with awards for their conservation work by the charity, which has supported habitat protection and anti-poaching response in Africa for more than three decades.
Prince William presented the awards to winners Jealous Mpofu, Dr Ekwoge Abwe and Fanny Minesi on stage.
He praised the ceremony as “a rare moment to reflect on the significant achievements of our award winners and recognize the challenges they face every day.”
‘Events like this put us on track to meet the global target by 2030’
Prince William told conservationists at The Savoy Hotel in London that the rangers celebrated with the awards were “ecosystem guardians working on behalf of the global community”.
He said these individuals “shoulder the enormous responsibility of protecting these vast areas of land and water that are vital to the future of life on Earth.”
The prince added that protecting these natural habitats in Africa “will put us on the path to achieving the global target of protecting 30 percent of all lands, oceans and inland waters by 2030.”
The Prince attended a reception upstairs, where he spoke to Rolling Stones legend Wood and the Marchioness of Bath, Emma Weymouth, before taking his place at the Savoy.
Wood, who attended with his wife Sally, said they also discussed the life-size gorillas they had painted for the cause, which had raised more than £100,000 from sales, before showing them to William.
The future king helped launch Tusk’s annual ceremony in 2013 to recognize the work of those trying to protect some of Africa’s most iconic animals and habitats.
As a royal patron, he has been a long-standing supporter of the charity’s efforts for almost two decades.
The awards aim to shine a light on the stories of conservation leaders and wildlife rangers across the continent, thus amplifying their work.
Since the inaugural event in 2013, the awards now recognize 55 conservation leaders from 20 countries.
“It is evenings like this that provide the vital impetus to deliver positive change,” William said, adding: “Today’s winners now join an impressive graduate list of Africa’s most influential, passionate and committed environmentalists.”
Athene St.John, spokesperson for the Nick Maughan Foundation, which sponsors the awards and funds wildlife conservation projects across Africa, said: “The Tusk Awards are synonymous with modern society-led wildlife conservation.
“For rangers like tonight’s award winner Jealous Mpofu, to be awarded such an honor by the Prince of Wales shines a light on some of the most critical biodiversity projects on the planet when they have never been needed before.”
In his opening remarks, William added that the Tusk ceremony was also a reminder that “those living in Africa emit only a quarter of the emissions of the average global citizen.”
“But the African continent will suffer disproportionate loss and damage due to climate change.”
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