Prince William has made a private donation to the families of six wildlife Rangers who were murdered in an ambush while protecting gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In January, the six Rangers were on foot patrol in the Virunga National Park, where they are needed to protect wildlife from poachers and other threats when they were taken by surprise by a gang of militiamen. The same park saw 13 Rangers killed in a similar attack last April.
Shortly after the attack, Prince William spoke out about his shock and anguish at the terrible incident.
However, news has now emerged that the Prince dug his hands into his pocket and came up with a donation for the family members of the six fallen Rangers.
Neither the Duke of Cambridge nor Kensington Palace have spoken publicly about the Prince’s donation, and the news only came to light after the charity tweeted their thanks at the end of last week.
The Duke of Cambridge donated to The Thin Green Line Foundation
The Thin Green Line Foundation tweeted last Friday that they were “very grateful to the Duke of Cambridge for his recent support through our Fallen Ranger Fund for the families impacted by the devastating loss of six Rangers at Virunga National Park in January.
The Thin Green Line Foundation was set up to provide financial aid and support to the widows and family members of wildlife Rangers killed in the line of duty. The Foundation states that up to 150 Rangers die each year while protecting wildlife, and they estimate over 1000 have been murdered in the last decade.
The charity says their main aim is to keep the children of fallen Rangers in school and to try setting up a small business for the widows so they can maintain a regular income.
Prince William previously condemned the attack on the Rangers
After the January attack occurred, William said: “The horrendous attack on staff at the Virunga National Park is abhorrent, and I condemn the actions of those responsible in the strongest terms.
“Rangers who work tirelessly to protect both the national park and the neighboring communities should be honored, not attacked. They should never find themselves in a position where their lives are on the line.”
The six men who died were Kamate Mundunaenda Alexis, 25; Burhani Abdou Surumwe, 30; Nzabonimpa Ntamakiriro Prince, 27; Maneno Kataghalirwa Reagan, 27; Kibanji Bashekere Eric, 28; and Paluku Budoyi Innocent, 28.
In other Royal news, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hit the headlines after it emerged that they too had made a private charitable donation to one lucky charity.
Over the weekend, the Genesis Women’s Shelter and Support organization in Dallas, Texas, tweeted that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex had sent aid to help with the damage caused to one of their shelters by the recent winter storms.
This news came at the end of a week when the Sussexes’ learned they would lose some of their honorary titles and charitable patronages following their decision to remain in America.