Prince Albert has been presented with The Perfect World Foundation Award by Sarah, Duchess of York during the organisation’s 2022 Arctic Ocean Gala in Sweden.

The event was held at the historical Bourse in Gothenburg on May 5th. Prince Albert is the ninth recipient of The Perfect World Award, a recognition of his life-long commitment, dedication, and actions to preserve our oceans. As global ambassador, Sarah Ferguson has presented the award since 2016. It is a Rhino-shaped crystal statue from Kosta Boda and its other recipients include Sir David Attenborough, Dr Sylvia Earle and Dr Jane Goodall.

Earlier in the day, the Prince and Sarah, Duchess of York, braved the chilly Swedish spring weather to inaugurate the foundation’s Project Ocean which focuses on locating, salvaging, recycling and reusing abundant fishing nets, so called “ghost nets”, and other fishing equipment left in our oceans. Also present at the inauguration event where Hollywood actor Billy Zane and The Perfect World Foundation’s Scientific Leader Jan Westin. Alongside the coast, huge piles of ghost nets had been placed, representing the equivalent amount of plastic entering the Swedish West Coast on a daily basis. As part of the inauguration, Prince Albert released a rescued and rehabilitated duck back to the wild, found injured with a fishing hook in its beak.

The Prince also visited the Gothenburg Botanical Garden for a tree planting ceremony as a part of The Perfect World Foundation’s global tree planting project ‘Attenborough Forest’, named after Sir David Attenborough as he planted the forest’s first tree in 2018. The Sovereign Prince planted an American smoketree, described by the Botanical Garden’s botanist as a tree of the future. It was explained that as the climate is warming, the fauna of the cooler north has to be replaced by vegetation more resilient to a warmer climate, just like the American smoketree.

The Perfect World Foundation is a non-profit organisation based in Sweden that works with wildlife and nature in crisis around the world. By increasing knowledge and spreading awareness, the foundation’s grand mission is to save the world.

Photo by Petra Bjorstad, source Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation