William described Mark Jenkins as someone who had “dedicated his life” to protecting wildlife in East Africa.

He said Mr Jenkins had been killed alongside his son Peter as they flew over Tsavo National Park on an aerial patrol.

In a personal tweet from the Kensington Royal account, William wrote: “Yesterday, I lost a friend, who dedicated his life to protecting wildlife in some of East Africa’s most renowned national parks. Mark Jenkins, and his son Peter, were tragically killed when flying over Tsavo National Park while conducting an aerial patrol.

“Tonight, I’m thinking about Mark’s wife, family and colleagues who’ve sadly lost a man we all loved and admired. W”

The park is almost 22,000 square kilometres and is the largest national park in Kenya – and one of the biggest in the world, according to the official website.

It is made up of two separate parks, Tsavo East National Park and Tsavo West National Park, in the Coast Province of Kenya between Nairobi City and Mombasa.

The website states that the park is home to red elephants and large open spaces.