Prince William's charity keeps investments in bank linked to fossil fuels?

Prince William has courted controversy after it emerged in an investigation by the Associated Press that the charity founded by him, The Royal Foundation, keeps its investments in a bank that is one of the biggest backers of fossil fuels. This is particularly damning since the Royal Foundation supports causes like conservation and the environment. Prince William has also spoken about the damaging prevalence of fossil fuels that may end up irreversibly harming the fragile ecology of the earth. The burning of fossil fuels like coal, crude oil, and natural gas releases greenhouse gases which in turn are causing climate change.

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Scientists have cautioned that if the world does not move away from fossil fuels to greener and renewable alternatives, the radical increase in global temperatures will cause natural disasters like droughts and floods and famine after food shortages due to lack of fresh water in farming.

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The AP report also said that more than half of the organisation's investments are in a fund that is advertised as green (environment-friendly)but the Royal Foundation also owns shares in companies that buy palm oil, a product that is linked to deforestation in Indonesia.

Prince William, who also holds the title of Duke of Cambridge, is the elder son of Prince Charles, the heir to the throne of Windsor, and late Princess Diana. He appeared in a 2020 Discovery documentary titled 'Prince William: A Planet For Us All' in which he apparently set out on a mission to advocate for the natural world.

When The Guardian contacted Kensington Palace, the seat of Prince William and his wife Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, a spokesperson said, “The Royal Foundation has followed the Church of England guidelines on ethical investment since 2015, and goes beyond these to prohibit investment in fossil fuel companies. We take our investment policies extremely seriously and review them regularly.”