The Duke of Cambridge was guest of honour at a charity event last night to celebrate the Giants Club, the conservation initiative backed by The Independent which works on the ground to protect Africa’s elephants and the landscapes they depend on.

The dinner, which was hosted by the Giants Club’s Patron, Evgeny Lebedev, at the Kensington Palace state apartments, saw Prince William join a crowd of philanthropists and influencers to celebrate Space for Giants’ achievements and discuss future goals.

Prince William wasn’t the only Prince to attend, as among the African dignitaries present was Ugandan Prince Hassan Kimbugwe. Other guests included experts from frontline elephant protection, such as Kitili Mbathi, the head of the Kenya Wildlife Service, and Professor Lee White, the head of national parks in Gabon.

Dr. Max Graham, CEO of the Giants Club’s implementation charity Space for Giants, said: “Despite well intentioned commitments made at recent international conservation forums, demand for ivory remains high and therefore elephants remain at real risk of being wiped out from the landscapes they have roamed for centuries.

“We urgently need to scale up investment in frontline protection for Africa’s elephants, as well ensuring the legal penalties for wildlife crimes are robust and effectively implemented.

“We were honoured to be joined by distinguished guests, including HRH Prince William, to cultivate high level support from the world's most prominent key influencers and philanthropists for the plight of Africa's elephants and the landscapes they depend on.”

The Duke of Cambridge has long been a powerful advocate for the protection of elephants and conservation across Africa, and has made the tackling of wildlife crime a personal cause.

In November the second-in-line to the throne gave an impassioned speech calling for a total ban on ivory trade in UK, saying endangered animals are still being slaughtered in 'horrifying numbers'.

Wounded elephant rescue Show all 12 1 /12 Wounded elephant rescue Wounded elephant rescue Ben the elephant arrives looking for help Staff and guests at the Bumi Hills Foundation in Zimbabwe were surprised to see a wounded bull elephant seeming seeking help outside their window. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue A vet arrives Vet Dr Richard Hoare flew in from Harare to treat Ben. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue Getting Ben on the ground It takes 12 people to get the tranquilised animal on the ground so his wound can be treated. They also gave him a tracking collar so they can see how he is doing in the future. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue Ben's gunshot wound The elephant had a septic wound which was 4cm in diameter and 10cm deep. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue Looking after a tranquilised elephant The team placed a stick in Ben's trunk to make sure he could breathe. They monitored his breathing throughout the procedure. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue Looking for the bullet Workers at the foundation used metal detectors to locate the bullets, however none were found. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue Cleaning out the wound The vet and the safari team set about treating the wound, cleaning it out with a probe. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue Cleaning out the wound A incision was created below the wound to allow fluids to drain out. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue Elephants need a lot of antibiotics Dr Hoare administered a staggering 120ml of long-acting antibiotics to Ben. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue In the wars The two bullet holes in Ben's ears show he has been a victim of poachers before. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue Bumi Hills Foundation Helping Ben was a team effort by those at the foundation. Bumi Hills Foundation Wounded elephant rescue Ben's back on his feet A little unstable, but Ben managed to stand up a few minutes after the team were finished, and made his way tentatively back into the bush. Bumi Hills Foundation

HRH also lobbied the presidents of China, the US and African countries to strengthen protection, after citing fears that the African elephant will have disappeared from the wild due to poaching by the time his one-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte turns 25.