Prince Harry Attends Tree-Planting Event at Botswana National Park

Saving the world one tree at a time! Prince Harry was a man on a mission as he stepped out in Botswana for a tree planting event at Chobe National Park. The Duke of Sussex left Duchess Meghan and son Archie in Cape Town, South Africa on Thursday, September 26, while he joined local children and adults for a firsthand look at the park’s conservation and wildlife preservation projects.

During his outing on the fourth day of their royal tour, the 35-year-old royal met with school children and helped them plant trees at the Chobe Forest Reserve. He also met with a youth group of people from his Sentebale Project, an organization he founded in 2006 that helps improve the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS.

The red-haired hunk also gave an emotional and moving speech about the importance of addressing the world’s pressing environmental issues and why it’s important to him. “There’s an emergency … it’s a race against time and one which we are losing,” he said of climate change as he addressed the crowd. “Everyone knows it.”

While arriving at the national park following a boat ride on the Chobe River, Harry candidly mentioned his love for the beautiful country of South Africa and confessed how Botswana helped him grieve in the months following mom Princess Diana‘s death in August 1997.

“Fifteen years I’ve been coming here, it’s a sense of escapism — a real sense of purpose … I have some of my closest friends here over the years,” he gushed. “I came here in 1997 or 1998 straight after my mum died, so it was a nice place to get away from it all.”

Just months before Diana died in a tragic car accident in Paris, the late princess walked through an active minefield in Angola. Before Harry and Meghan wrap up their 10-day tour, the duke is expected to honor his mother’s work and pay a visit to that historic country.

To see pics from Harry’s outing at the tree-planting event at Chobe National Park, scroll through the gallery below!