Prince Harry grins as he performs 'chimp greeting' with animal rights star Dr Jane Goodall

Prince Harry greeted animals rights star Dr Jane Goodall with a “chimp greeting” at a conservation conference today.

When the pair had first met last year, Dr Jane had taught Harry, 34, how a male and female chimp first greet each other.

And to loud laughter, the pair re-created it on Tuesday as Harry met young leaders from around the world who are working with Dr Jane on her “Roots and Shoots” project.

Dr Jane, 85, is famous for her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania, and now runs a global initiative in her name which promotes research, conservation and young leadership.

After Harry had attended the meeting at St George’s House, in the grounds of Windsor castle, she revealed that he’d asked to meet her last year.

Talking about how she hoped to work with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the future, she said: “Harry asked if I would go and meet him.

“They made me a dame of the British empire so I guess he thought it would be good to meet me. And we clicked.

“We talked about Roots and Shoots and I said ‘of course you’re interested now you have a baby’ and he said ‘Of Course!’

“When you bring a child into the world, you have to worry about the future. If we don’t make change, we don’t have a future, it’s as simple as that.

“I have met the Duchess once just last month and Harry twice.

“She told me she’s followed me all her life. She told me, ‘You’ve been my idol since I was a child. I’ve hero worshipped you all my life.’

“She came in at the end with Archie and I got to cuddle him!

“He’s very cute and very gentle.”

Jane met Harry, Meghan and Archie at Frogmore House on June 13 when Archie was just five weeks old.

The pair have been discussing how they can work together in the future.

Harry was very energised meeting the prospective young leaders from around the world - who are on a one-week residential stay at St George’s House as part of the Roots and Shoots young leadership programme.

Meeting one group, and echoing his father Prince Charles, Harry declared war on single-use plastic.

He said: “What is the alternative to plastic packaging because there are alternatives.

“I know Waitrose has spent a huge amount of money trying to find different ways to package stuff.

“It doesn’t make sense to find everything in plastic.

“Plastic within plastic.

“Gone are the days when you’d just grab ten carrots, take them home and then just give them a shake.

“Now people are actually buying shaved carrots in a plastic bag. Why?

“We’ve slipped into this dirty habit.

“Because that’s what it is, right?

“It’s a dirty habit. And it’s become normalised.

“And the younger generation are coming along and going ‘This is crazy. This doesn’t make any sense at all.’

“Especially in fact as most of this plastic ends up surviving for more than 100 years...a 1000 years and some of these companies need to start taking responsibility for it and they need to spend the money they’ve made in selling all this stuff, either to start clearing up or even better stop making it and finding alternatives.”

In a speech to the group, Harry said: “I met Jane last year, and my affirmation was probably similar to how you all felt this week when you met her for the first time.

“That she is a woman of kindness, warmth, immense knowledge and a softness that’s needed by mankind just as much as it is chimpkind.

“I’ve been admiring her work since I was a kid and it was so wonderful to find that she was even more amazing in person. She even treated me to a chimp welcome which only Jane can do! Well, and chimps!”

Dr Jane (as she likes to be known) confirmed that she, Harry and Meghan would be working together in the future.

She has invited him to visit their projects in Tanzania and said: “It’s all brand new. You don’t meet people and launch into a project.

“You feel your way. We have had a heat to heart and we will work together.

“We’re still struggling to get the money and resources. This [meeting] will make a difference.

“Whether it’s someone like Leo Di Caprio who have a whole load of people who worship him.... It’s the same as Harry. Those people who adore him and Meghan and little Archie ... if he’s supporting Jane Goodall and the institute maybe they will think, ‘Who is this Jane Goodall?’ and follow our work.

“Prince Harry has a really good grasp on what we’ve been doing and what we’ve accomplished.

“He was impressed with the young people that he spoke to and these are the young leaders of the future.”