Prince William mourns 'close friend' who died in Kenya plane crash

United Kingdom’s Prince William has mourned wildlife reservist Mark Jenkins and his son who died in a plane crash on Thursday at the Tsavo East National Park.

The Prince of Wales took to social media to express his grief while revealing his long-time friendship with the deceased following the tragedy.

“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,” he wrote on Twitter.

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

Jenkins, a wildlife ranger and his son Peter (a game warden) lost their lives after their aircraft crashed on Thursday morning while on patrol in the park's north-eastern boundary.

William’s friendship with Jenkins dates back to 2001 when he visited the continent for a three-year period where he learnt about game conservation, wildlife and its environment.

Their friendship thereafter blossomed since Jenkins was following Prince's work with the Tusk Trust.

Prince is the patron of Tusk Trust, a UK charity organisation which protects endangered wildlife species.

Global conservation organization Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) based in Germany also paid tribute to Mr Jenkins, terming him as a "lifelong conservationist and experienced bush pilot."