When Prince William traveled through Africa on a working visit in the fall of 2018, it was his time in Namibia, Kenya, and Tanzania tackling conservation issues and illegal wildlife trade that inspired him to explore permanent solutions to global environmental challenges. Ideas swirled in his mind for two months until he had a bigger conversation with Sir David Attenborough in London. There, the famed activist and Duke of Cambridge discussed an idea to create a prize that will not only incentivize the global effort to protect and restore the environment, but also help repair the planet by 2030.