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Prince William Remembers 'Much-Missed' Queen Elizabeth in First Speech as Prince of Wales

Prince William is marking a royal first while supporting a longstanding cause.

In his first public speech since becoming the Prince of Wales following the Sept. 8 death of Queen Elizabeth, William used his platform to fight for animals threatened by poachers at Tuesday's United for Wildlife Global Summit.

Speaking at the event for United for Wildlife, which he created as part of the Royal Foundation in 2014, William remembered his late grandparents Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip as well as father King Charles for their part in shaping his passion for conservation.

"Our natural world is one of our greatest assets," the Prince of Wales said. "It is a lesson I learnt from a young age, from my father and grandfather, both committed naturalists in their own right, and also from my much-missed grandmother, who cared so much for the natural world."

He added, "In times of loss, it is a comfort to honor those we miss through the work we do. I take great comfort then from the progress we are making to end the illegal wildlife trade."

RELATED: Prince William Shares Tweet Praising the 'Dangerous Work' of African Rangers Following Tragedy

Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales delivers a keynote speech as he attends the United for Wildlife (UfW) Global Summit at the Science Museum in London on October 4, 2022. (Photo by Paul Grover / POOL / AFP) (Photo by PAUL GROVER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales delivers a keynote speech as he attends the United for Wildlife (UfW) Global Summit at the Science Museum in London on October 4, 2022. (Photo by Paul Grover / POOL / AFP) (Photo by PAUL GROVER/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

PAUL GROVER/POOL/AFP via Getty Prince William

The illegal wildlife trade is worth up to $20 billion annually, and Prince William wants to bring the "sinister" criminal operations "out of the shadows" so they can be combated. The royal, 40, has been at the forefront of an initiative to bring together transport, banking and port authorities to unite against the criminal gangs who poach ivory and other products and then ship them around the world.

In the six years since the organization created its international transport and financial task forces, it has involved 250 organizations in its network, leading to 450 law enforcement cases, 250 arrests and almost 200 seizures of wildlife products. It has also trained around 100,000 people in enforcement.

Prince William said that while their work is having a "demonstrable impact," they have much more to do.

"While we do not have the luxury of time, clearly we do have a proven roadmap to success and the motivation to put it into action," he said. "I hope you all leave here today energized and motivated to intensify this work. Because there are still too many criminals who believe they can act with impunity, too many lives being destroyed and too many species on the brink of extinction due to this heinous crime."

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: Prince William, Prince of Wales attends the United For Wildlife Summit at Science Museum on October 4, 2022 in London, England. The Prince of Wales delivered a keynote speech highlighting the serious and organised nature of illegal wildlife crime and its damaging impact on global biodiversity and local communities. (Photo by Paul Grover - Pool/Getty Images)

Paul Grover - Pool/Getty Prince William

The United for Wildlife Global Summit at London's Science Museum brought 300 delegates from the private sector, conservation organizations and law enforcement together to underline the global strength and cooperation against illegal wildlife crime.

They had recent success as United for Wildlife members were a crucial part of a collaboration that saw a man convicted and sentenced to more than five years in prison for conspiring to traffic more than $7 million worth of rhino horn and elephant ivory. Around 135 animals had been killed in the process.

Praising the decision, Prince William said, "Today's sentencing demonstrates both what is possible when a coordinated international response is brought to bear against the illegal wildlife trade, and why it is essential. This is a significant victory and a landmark case. For over a decade, its complexity has been skillfully met by a global alliance of international law enforcement agencies, governments, NGOs [non-governmental organizations] and private sector organizations, including a number of brilliant United for Wildlife partners."

He added the outcome serves as "further proof that we have the tools to combat this insidious crime and is a testament to the power of international collaboration."

Chairman of the Royal Foundation Lord Hague said, "The depletion of our most precious wildlife continues. That makes the illegal wildlife trade an intolerable offense. But its association with violent crime, corruption, people trafficking and even terrorist financing makes it of the utmost seriousness."

"Our response, therefore, needs to be similarly organized, similarly global in scope, and just as serious as the crime we are fighting," Lord Hauge added. "It is the breadth and diversity of the collaboration that makes the United for Wildlife network unique in its work to defeat illegal wildlife crime."

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Alastair Grant/AP/Shutterstock (13438095d) Britain's Prince William arrives at the United for Wildlife Global Summit at the Science Museum in London, . The summit will bring together over 300 global leaders from law enforcement agencies, conservation organisations and private sector companies who are part of the UfW network, highlighting their pioneering work to drive policy change and support criminal investigations, while galvanising a re-doubling of effort in the collective fight to end the illegal wildlife trade for good Royals, London, United Kingdom - 04 Oct 2022

Alastair Grant/AP/Shutterstock Prince William

During the summit, delegates also paid tribute to wildlife rangers, including Anton Mzimba, who was killed earlier this year. Mzimba was shot at close range by two men who'd driven to his home. Under the pretext of saying they needed help with their vehicle, they shot him in front of his wife and seven children.

Mzimba's colleague and fellow ranger Altin Gysman from Southern Africa Wildlife College spoke movingly about him and their work. Gysman paid tribute saying he was a "husband, father, brother, comrade and coach."

"He was a dedicated ranger but also a selfless individual who cared for others in his department," Gysman added. "He epitomized what it takes to be a true ranger, but was also a husband, father, a brother, a son, a mentor, a manager, a coach and a true leader."

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Alastair Grant/AP/Shutterstock (13438095e) Britain's Prince William arrives at the United for Wildlife Global Summit at the Science Museum in London, . The summit will bring together over 300 global leaders from law enforcement agencies, conservation organisations and private sector companies who are part of the UfW network, highlighting their pioneering work to drive policy change and support criminal investigations, while galvanising a re-doubling of effort in the collective fight to end the illegal wildlife trade for good Royals, London, United Kingdom - 04 Oct 2022

Alastair Grant/AP/Shutterstock Prince William

John Jurko, director of a film called Rhino Man that centered on Mzimba's work, called the man he'd become close to as "a warrior ready to stand in front of a bullet to protect a rhino."

Prince William, who said he was "deeply saddened" by Mzimba's death following the tragedy, and the delegates watched the final scenes of the film in which Mzimba spoke about passing on the love for nature and wildlife to the next generation. Poignantly, he says in the film, "I have had an amazing career. One day, not so long from now, I will hang up my boots. As I get closer to that day, my heart grows heavy."

But saying it was up to people to inspire children to care for the herds of today and the future, he adds, "It's not too late, there's still hope."

In his speech, Prince William paid tribute to Mzimba. "Anton dedicated himself to the protection of wildlife, undertaking his role diligently and professionally despite threats to his life," the royal heir said. "He stood up to violent criminals and paid the ultimate price. It is only right that we pay tribute to him and all the other selfless rangers and frontline conservationists here today. And it is also only right that we honor him by continuing our work with renewed focus and vigor."

John Jurko, the director of Rhino Man — the movie about the work and life of Mzimba and other rangers — tells PEOPLE, "My main focus was working with the rangers and seeing what they face on the frontline. Anton used to say, 'We're the last line of defense.' But unless there's something happening outside the reserve, a collaborative effort, they're fighting a losing battle over time."

"What United for Wildlife is doing is bringing all these partners from all these different industries together. Between regions and internationally there is no way the rangers can tackle this on their own, so it's super-important to be getting these people together in a room to collaborate. This forum is amazing and hopefully facilitates those connections and will hopefully get the people at the top who are fueling all of this."

He says Prince William is "definitely in this for the long haul. He started this organization. He was talking with the rangers' trainer, and you can just tell he's very invested in what the frontline workers are doing as well, he sees the human side of it and the impact it has on the people working in the field. That connection and desire to help on that side fuels his passion to bring people together. I feel pretty confident he's in it for the long haul."

Altin Gysman, from Southern Africa Wildlife College, knew Mzimba well. He tells PEOPLE that he spoke with William at a reception.

"He said to us 'he wants the work to continue.' We need to look into the future for future generations to be able to see the animals and species that are in our parks and reserves. If we don't combat wildlife crime future generations won't be able to see the animals," Gysman says. "The prince's participation within this and being an ambassador for the wildlife is very, very good. To see someone of his high profile status supporting it is something incredible. He is very well-connected to nature conservation and protecting natural resources. He is here to stay, and he can make a very big difference in the future."

"Meeting the prince was a very big opportunity for me and an honor. The prince asked me how long I knew Anton. When I was coaching him on a project, and the prince had an interview with Anton [his was when they spoke] and with him being close to Anton and giving Anton that support, the death of Anton was something that he couldn't believe it. They shared a passion that Anton to do something. Like all of us, the prince lost him too."

The father of four, who is based in the Kruger National Parkin South Africa, adds, "Even though it has been quite hard talking about [Anton] today, it was also good to tell the world what he was doing in his working environment and it's also one ting other people to see what frontline officials do on the ground."

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: Prince William, Prince of Wales attends the United For Wildlife Summit at Science Museum on October 04, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage )
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 04: Prince William, Prince of Wales attends the United For Wildlife Summit at Science Museum on October 04, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage )

Samir Hussein/WireImage Prince William

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Both Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, are figuring out how their royal work will change as Prince and Princess of Wales. It's very much business as usual so far, as they forge on with their long-running projects and close interests. On Wednesday, Prince William will focus on sport, while the Princess of Wales continues to highlight supporting children in the early years of life.

Next month, Prince William will likely attend the 10th Tusk awards in London, celebrating those making a difference for the wildlife of Africa.