Prince William Says, 'I Want to Go a Step Further' Than My Family and 'Bring Change' as Singapore Visit Wraps

The Prince of Wales was speaking as he wound up his four-day visit to Singapore

Prince William sees his role as "social leadership."

The Prince of Wales, 41, wants to go a "step further" than his family has traditionally done in highlighting key issues and “actually bring change," he said on Wednesday.

Prince William was talking to the British media as he wound down his four-day visit to Singapore, a wide-ranging trip that saw him charm children, wow the crowds and take part in a fun Dragon Boat race. And at the center of the trip, praise the latest group of winners of his environmental project, the Earthshot Prize.

As he enters his second year as the Prince of Wales and his place as the immediate heir to the throne, he has an ambitious homelessness Homewards project and is assessing how his Earthshot Prize is progressing as it passes its third prize ceremony.

"So I think the thing that ties it all together for me is about social leadership,” Prince William told reporters.

"I care about so many things, and previously the family have been very much spotlighting brilliantly and going round and highlighting lots – I want to go a step further. I want to actually bring change, and I want to bring people to the table who can do the change if I can’t do it," Prince William said, according to the PA Media. "And so it’s all about progressing, helping and advancing particular social causes that need to be given more support.”

"I’ve been in the homelessness sector for a long time now, and so rather than just being patron, I want to do more — I want to actually build the homes, I want to provide them with the mental support, all the employment and the education they might need," he said.

Previously, the royals have taken on hundreds of patronages and causes – the late Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip both had several hundred each. But William and his wife Kate Middleton have tended to concentrate on fewer individual organizations, enabling them to devote themselves to causes with more depth.

As Prince William headed home, the diplomat who was by his side throughout the four-day visit reflected on what the royal had brought to the region.

British High Commissioner Kara Owen says, “From the moment that His Royal Highness arrived and there was that really very special welcome, and right the way through, he has been listening to peoples’ experiences, learning about how Singapore is managing some of the issues around climate and the environment, sharing insights and ideas of what we can do next. That’s all fantastically useful.”

She tells PEOPLE, “He has an ability to engage with everybody he meets. It doesn't matter whether it is with little kids at [the indoor waterfall] Jewel or forensic scientists or senior officer holders or talking at Earthshot+ [seminar] about what he wants to do next with Earthshot. He has been engaged with all of those areas in an accessible and compelling way."

Related: Prince William Reveals Relatable Family Reason Kate Middleton Isn't Joining Him on Singapore Trip

Prince William began his last day in Singapore by taking a hike at the Tree Top Walk with the country’s deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, gaining a bird's eye view of the plants and animals that live in the forest canopy. The landmark also plays an important role in research, as it gives crucial access to an area that many researchers were not previously able to reach.

There, he spoke to volunteers, who enthusiastically shared “the education and communication work they do with everybody in Singapore – citizens, children, the international community – to talk about the brilliant wildlife here and how we can help preserve it,” High Commissioner Owen tells PEOPLE. “And they spoke about how you can have a small landmass, chock full of people like here, with nature in close proximity and how you manage that. That was a really interesting set of conversations in a beautiful location.”

William also headed to Centre for Wildlife Forensics, a special laboratory that is linked to the international effort to monitor the DNA of illegal wildlife products as law enforcement teams try to track where the animal parts may have originated.

“The end users can often be in this part of the world. Singapore has had some really well-publicized interdiction efforts involving an astounding amount of goods," Owen adds.

At the center of the visit, the Earthshot Prize ceremony, this was the first year that the finalists had all gathered together before the final ceremony, creating a bond that perhaps otherwise might not have happened.

"They were really cheering each other on," Owen says of the energy around the contest. "There were big prizes at stake, but it is also much more than that. It is about building an eco-system where the right kind of solutions to help restore the planet can get investment. There was a real vibe around that and how supportive they were of each other.”

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

One of those joining Prince William at the ceremony was Australian TV star Robert Irwin. He told PEOPLE of William's leadership: “I have dedicated my life to wildlife conservation. I share that with Prince William and I admire him greatly. He is certainly someone I look up to and I hope I can create the same sort of change that he does. He is a real beacon to everyone in the conservation field," Irwin says.

“Earthshot exemplifies everything we are trying to achieve on such a massive scale. We have been doing all this for years. Now, for Earthshot Prize to come along, that takes all of these issues to the world on a level that is unrivaled.”

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.