Prince Harry warns of environmental "emergency" as he visits Botswana
Cape Town, South Africa — The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were on day four of their Africa tour Thursday. After bringing baby Archie to meet Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Wednesday, Prince Harry and Meghan went separate ways Thursday.
Harry was in Botswana, getting a firsthand look at conservation and wildlife preservation projects, while Meghan stayed in Cape Town, South Africa to visit with local women's groups.
As CBS News correspondent Debora Patta reported, Meghan was going solo for the next few days to host a number of private engagements. On Thursday it was a breakfast for women in public service, including politicians and community activists.
Prince Harry was touring in neighboring Botswana — the country where he and Meghan fell in love. But it was no romantic getaway for the prince this time; he was there to see efforts in wildlife conservation, and he alluded to the fact that he wasn't the only person using some "star power" to highlight environmental issues.
"This last week, led by Greta, the world's children are striking," Harry said. "There's an emergency, there's a race against time and one in which we are losing."
But Botswana may be one of the winners; the country has been seen as a shining example of African wildlife conservation because of its zero-tolerance policy to poaching.
The Duke also joined school children planting trees in the Chobe Forest Reserve, and then met a youth group who are part of his Sentebale Project.
Sentebale, which means "Forget Me Not," is one of Harry's deepest passions. Co-founded by him in 2006, the organization improves the lives of those living with HIV and AIDS, and it continues the legacy of Harry's mother Princess Diana, who fought to destigmatize the virus.
Harry spoke movingly about how Botswana helped him in the tough months after his mom's death, and the lifelong bond it created.
"I came here in '97, '98, straight after my mum died, so it was a nice place to get away from it all, but now I feel deeply connected to this place and to Africa," Harry said.
Patta said that connection will be even more firmly cemented Friday, when Prince Harry travels to Angola and where he will literally walk in his mother's footsteps.
The prince plans to retrace Diana's path across an Angolan landmine field, where one of the most iconic images of her short life was captured.