Prince William and Prince Albert join forces to save the world’s oceans

Prince William has joined forces with his counterpart in Monaco, Prince Albert, to gain momentum for a strategy which could change the course of humanity.

Prince William and Prince Albert joined forces with the likes of French President Emmanuel Macron to declare now is the time to take action on the state of the world’s oceans.

The Prince of Wales, 42, is in Monaco at the Blue Economy and Finance Forum at the Grimaldi Forum on World Oceans Day along with a high-powered guest list including European Council President Antonio Costa, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway.

Britain's Prince William meets with Prince Albert II of Monaco. Picture: AP

William told the audience the “clock is ticking” for Earth’s oceans.

“If we save the sea, we save the world,” he said, greeting the crowd in French.

“The truth is that healthy oceans are essential to all life on earth. They generate half of the world’s oxygen, regulate our climate and provide food for more than three billion people.

“And today, they need our help.”

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, France's President Emmanuel Macron, Prince Albert, Costa Rica's President Rodrigo Chaves Robles and Prince William are all united on the cause. Picture: AP

While British royals tend to stay out of politics, like his father Charles, William is a passionate environmentalist.

“Rising sea temperatures, plastic pollution and overfishing are putting pressure on these fragile ecosystems and on the people and communities who depend most upon them,” William said.

“What once seemed an abundant resource is diminishing before our eyes. We all stand to be impacted. And we are all responsible for change – both negative and positive.

“But there remains time to turn this tide.”

The Prince of Wales also met with Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at the forum. Picture: AFP

It came after the heir to the British crown met with Sir David Attenborough to discuss his latest documentary Ocean.

Sir David told a spellbound William about the time he took what was then a cutting edge scuba-diving helmet for a test run on the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland in 1957.

“It’s certainly a strange thing to do,” Sir David said placing the original version of Jacques-Yves Cousteau’s helmet on his head.

The action caused the Prince some alarm.

“Don’t do that, David,” William pleaded.

“You won’t get it off.”

European Council President Antonio Costa (2L), Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales (3L), Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden (4L), Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (7L), France's President Emmanuel Macron (8L), Prince Albert II of Monaco (9L), Costa Rica's President Rodrigo Chaves Robles (11L) and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway (3R) pose for a group photo. Picture: AFP

“When I put mine on for the first time, I suddenly felt water coming around (my chin and up over my mouth),” Sir David said after successfully extracting himself from the contraption.

“I thought, ‘This can’t be right’. And by the time (the water rose to my nose), I thought, ‘I’m sure this is not right’.

“But then, of course, if you got this thing screwed on top of you, you can’t breathe. You can’t even make yourself heard, you know: ‘Get it off me!’” the 99-year-old environmental hero added.

Originally published as Prince William and Prince Albert join forces to save the world’s oceans