William to give first speech as Prince of Wales at United for Wildlife summit

William is to deliver his first speech since the King gave him his new title of Prince of Wales.

The heir to the throne will address the United for Wildlife global summit at the Science Museum in London on Tuesday.

He will use his keynote speech to highlight the serious and organised nature of illegal wildlife crime and its damaging impact on global biodiversity and local communities.

William, 40, was made the Prince of Wales by his father Charles, who announced his decision in a television address to the nation on September 9, the day after the death of the Queen.

The decision has not however been universally popular in Wales with over 36,000 people signing a petition calling for the title to be done away with.

Prince William has briefed however that he has no plans for any kind of formal investiture at the moment, after Charles’ investiture at Caernarfon castle in 1969 drew protests.

The now Prince of Wales set up the United for Wildlife (UfW) umbrella organisation in 2014 to tackle the illegal trade in animal products.

He has long campaigned against illegal wildlife trade, previously calling for a commitment to end the “abhorrent crime” which includes the poaching of elephants for ivory and tigers for their skins.

The summit, hosted by Lord Hague – chairman of The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales – is bringing together more than 300 global leaders from law enforcement agencies, conservation organisations and private sector companies who are part of the UfW network.

The event will see speakers announce new policies and unveil partnerships in a bid to end the trade, which is worth up to 20 billion dollars per year and is associated with violent crime, corruption and other forms of trafficking.