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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share beautiful photos in honor of Earth Day

The Instagram account for Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, posted a series of nature photos taken by the prince.
/ Source: TODAY
By Julie Pennell

There’s no question Prince Harry has a serious talent when it comes to photography, but could his photos also help save the Earth?

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are using some of his photos to raise environmental protection awareness in a new post on their Instagram account for Earth Day 2019.

View this post on Instagram

Today is #earthday - an opportunity to learn about, celebrate and continue to safeguard our planet, our home. The above, Their Royal Highnesses in Rotorua, New Zealand. Of the 170 different species originally planted in the early 1900’s, only a handful of species, including these majestic Redwoods, remain today. Next, we invite you to scroll through a series of 9 photos taken by The Duke of Sussex©️DOS sharing his environmental POV including: Africa’s Unicorn, the rhino. These magnificent animals have survived ice ages and giant crocodiles, amongst other things! They have adapted to earth’s changing climate continually for over 30 million years. Yet here we are in 2019 where their biggest threat is us. A critical ecosystem, Botswana’s Okavango Delta sustains millions of people and an abundance of wildlife. Huge bush fires, predominantly started by humans, are altering the entire river system; the ash kills the fish as the flood comes in and the trees that don’t burn become next year’s kindling. Desert lions are critically endangered due partly to human wildlife conflict, habitat encroachment and climate change. 96% of mammals on our 🌍 are either livestock or humans, meaning only 4% remaining are wild animals. Orca and Humpback whale populations are recovering in Norway thanks to the protection of their fisheries. Proof that fishing sustainably can benefit us all. Roughly 3/4 of Guyana is forested, its forests are highly diverse with 1,263 known species of wildlife and 6,409 species of plants. Many countries continue to try and deforest there for the global demand for timber. We all now know the damage plastics are causing to our oceans. Micro plastics are also ending up in our food source, creating not just environmental problems for our planet but medical problems for ourselves too. When a fenced area passes its carrying capacity for elephants, they start to encroach into farmland causing havoc for communities. Here @AfricanParksNetwork relocated 500 Elephants to another park within Malawi to reduce the pressure on human wildlife conflict and create more dispersed tourism. Every one of us can make a difference, not just today but everyday #earthday

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on

Harry and the former Meghan Markle — who are expecting their first baby any day now — shared a series of beautiful nature photos taken by the prince during his travels around the world.

“Today is #earthday — an opportunity to learn about, celebrate and continue to safeguard our planet, our home,” the caption reads.

In the first photo, the couple can be seen holding hands as they walk through the Redwoods Forest in Rotorua, New Zealand, during their 16-day trip in that part of the world last fall.

“Of the 170 different species originally planted in the early 1900s, only a handful of species, including these majestic Redwoods, remain today,” the post explains.

The following eight photos in the series were all taken by Harry, and each tells a different environmental story.

One of the photos is a dramatic black-and-white image of a rhino in Africa. “These magnificent animals have survived ice ages and giant crocodiles, amongst other things!” the caption says. “They have adapted to earth’s changing climate continually for over 30 million years. Yet here we are in 2019 where their biggest threat is us."

If the photos inspire you to do something to help, that’s exactly what the royals are hoping for. The post ends with a message of encouragement: “Every one of us can make a difference, not just today but every day #earthday.”

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Could Prince Harry and Meghan Markle be moving to Africa?

April 22, 201902:11

The slideshow comes amid speculation that the royal couple may move to Africa.

London's Sunday Times, citing a royal source, reported Harry, Meghan and their child could relocate sometime next year. Buckingham Palace said in a statement to NBC News, “Any future plans for The Duke and Duchess are speculative at this stage. No decisions have been taken about future roles.

"The Duke will continue to fulfill his role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador,” the palace said.

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Meghan Markle may have a home birth

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Julie Pennell

Julie Pennell is a regular contributor to TODAY.com and author of the novels “The Young Wives Club” and “Louisiana Lucky.” She currently lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two young sons. You can connect with her at juliepennell.com.