Prince William Highlights African Cinema with Patronage Previously Held by Queen Elizabeth

Tim P. Whitby - Pool/Getty Images Prince William

Prince William had a busy day championing causes close to his heart.

After taking a break from public outings in recent weeks to spend time with Kate Middleton and their kids during the three children's time off from school, the Prince of Wales continued with royal duties on Wednesday with a series of engagements. He attended the Royal Africa Society's biennial film festival, Film Africa, in London, where 48 films from 16 countries were shown across seven venues. The event also included director Q&As, professional workshops, school screenings and Film Africa live music nights.

William stepped out in a suit and red tie, accessorizing with a red poppy pin. It's common for members of the royal family to sport poppies, an artificial flower that has been used since 1921 to commemorate military members who have died in war, during the month of November, when Remembrance Day is observed.

Prince WIlliam became patron of the Royal African Society in December 2016 after his grandmother Queen Elizabeth passed down the patronage.

Prince William, 40, joined young film students of African heritage at the Garden Cinema at an event to learn more about the film industry from different angles, network with others working in the industry and learn from international professionals.

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Tim P. Whitby - Pool/Getty Images Prince William

He also joined the audience for a Q&A session with the founder of EbonyLife TV and EbonyLife Films Mo Abudu, Ghanaian-American filmmaker behind the award-winning film Queen of Glory and costume designer Colleen Morris, who has worked on the James Bond movie franchise. Following the discussion, the speakers and audience broke into workshop groups, where William learned more about the areas each speaker represented and the experiences of the students taking part in the event.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Prince of Wales participated in a roundtable discussion on the development and acceleration of African-led conservation at St. James's Palace.

Tim P. Whitby - Pool/Getty Images Prince William

Prince William stepped out for his first public engagement in recent weeks at the 10th annual Tusk Conservation Awards on Tuesday night. The royal has been involved with the charity since 2005, when he was a recent college graduate, and helped launch the awards in 2013 to spotlight the work of conservation leaders and wildlife rangers in Africa.

Prince William — a father to Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — looked ahead to how actions today will impact future generations in a speech during the event.

Tim P. Whitby - Pool/Getty Images Prince William

"We are living through turbulent times and it is all too easy to lose sight of how critical it is that we look after our natural world. But we must remain focused on investing in nature and the environment, protecting it for future generations. We must not pass on the baton to our children and grandchildren, apologizing for our lack of collective action," he said. "Instead, we must do all we can to support those who support our natural world, often at great risk to themselves."

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The appearance marks another example of how Prince William and his wife Kate are continuing to support their longstanding causes after becoming the Prince and Princess of Wales. King Charles formally announced the couple's new titles in his first speech as monarch, just one day after Queen Elizabeth died on Sept. 8.

Kate's work with families and children's early years as well as Prince William's support for the homeless, conservation and his Earthshot Prize project will continue.

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Kate Nicholl, author of The New Royals: Queen Elizabeth's Legacy and the Future of the Crown, recently told PEOPLE, "While they have both taken on new titles and more senior roles within the royal hierarchy, they have done so while staying very true to who they are and the causes they have championed. It's no coincidence that one of Kate's first engagements was to a maternity unit in Surrey, and as Princess of Wales, she's going to bring even more attention to her Early Years foundation."