Prince Harry and Meghan Markle recently paid tribute to Jane Goodall via PEOPLE. The renowned conservationist and animal welfare advocate passed away in Los Angeles of natural causes while on a speaking tour, the Jane Goodall Institute announced on Wednesday, October 1st. She was 91.
“Dr. Jane Goodall DBE was a visionary humanitarian, scientist, friend to the planet, and friend to us,” Prince Harry, and Meghan, said in a statement.
“Her commitment to changing lives extends beyond what the world saw, and also to what we personally felt,” they said.
“She held our son, Archie, when he was first born, and showered love and care to those who were privileged to know her. She will be deeply missed.”
In addition to forming a bond with Harry and Meghan, Jane Goodall was honored with the title of Dame in 2004 by Harry’s father, the then Prince of Wales, who is now King Charles.
Harry and Goodall first met in December 2018 when he invited her to Kensington Palace to discuss their mutual concerns for the environment.
In June 2019, Goodall visited the couple’s former home, Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, to speak with Harry ahead of the Global Leadership Meeting for the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots youth program, which was held at Windsor Castle that month.
Goodall told the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine that during the visit, “Meghan [Markle] came in to listen with Archie,” adding that she couldn’t resist the chance to hold the baby boy. Prince Archie was born on May 6, 2019.
“He was very tiny and very sleepy,” she told the outlet. “Not too pleased to be passed from his mummy.”
During the following month’s Roots & Shoots meeting, Harry made headlines by inviting Jane Goodall for an impromptu dance, during which he reenacted the charming “Chimpanzee Greeting” that she had taught him when they first met.
Goodall is recognized as the world’s leading expert on chimpanzees, having dedicated decades to studying them in their natural habitat at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania.
“Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” the Jane Goodall Institute said in a statement Wednesday.
“[Her] life and work not only made an indelible mark on our understanding of chimpanzees and other species, but also of humankind and the environments we all share,” the tribute read. “She inspired curiosity, hope and compassion in countless people around the world, and paved the way for many others.”
