TRANG.It was a moment of grace, grief, and gratitude 💔! At St. Michael’s Church in Bournemouth, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson stood before friends, royals, and fellow dreamers to honor the woman who changed the way the world sees life itself — Dr. Jane Goodall. Their words weren’t just a eulogy. They were a love letter to kindness, to courage, to the quiet power of one woman who spent her life reminding us that every creature, human or chimpanzee deserves compassion.

The world gathered in sorrow and reverence on Tuesday as Dr. Jane Goodall, the beloved primatologist, conservationist, and humanitarian, was laid to rest during a private funeral service at St. Michael’s Church in Bournemouth. Among the mourners were family, close friends, and global icons from the worlds of science, philanthropy, and entertainment — including Prince William, Emma Watson, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Greta Thunberg.

But one of the most moving moments of the service came when Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson took the podium to deliver a joint eulogy in honor of the woman who changed how humanity understands nature — and itself.

“Jane didn’t just study life,” Hanks began, his voice breaking with emotion. “She lived it — with humility, courage, and wonder. She showed us what kindness can do — not just to animals, but to the human spirit.”

The couple first met Goodall at a conservation gala in Los Angeles in 2019, and the friendship that followed left a deep mark on both of them. Wilson, standing beside her husband, recalled that first meeting with a tearful smile.

“She was 85 and still traveling the world,” Wilson said. “Still planting trees, still teaching children to care. She looked me in the eye and said, ‘Hope is the most powerful force we have.’ That stayed with me. It always will.”

Throughout the service, Goodall’s legacy was celebrated not only through words but through sound and image. A recording of her voice — from her final public address at the 2023 UN Climate Conference — played softly through the church. Her message, “Every individual makes a difference, every day,” resonated deeply, followed by a gentle ripple of applause and quiet tears from the audience.

A video montage chronicled Goodall’s life’s work — from her early days in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, where she first observed chimpanzees using tools, to her global campaigns for wildlife conservation and youth education through the Jane Goodall Institute.

Hanks and Wilson stood hand in hand as the footage faded, and Hanks spoke once more. “Jane Goodall was a storyteller — not just of science, but of truth and compassion,” he said. “She made us believe that the world could still be gentle, if we only tried a little harder.”

Prince William also gave brief remarks following the couple’s tribute, calling Goodall “a guiding light for humanity” and “a living example of how grace and grit can change the planet.”

Outside the church, mourners gathered around a tree planted in Goodall’s honor — a symbolic gesture representing the millions of trees planted through her environmental initiatives worldwide.

As the ceremony concluded, Rita Wilson laid a single white rose atop Goodall’s casket. The moment was silent, reverent, and filled with the same quiet strength that defined Jane Goodall’s extraordinary life.

“She gave us the courage to care,” Hanks said softly as they exited the chapel. “And that’s how we’ll keep her alive.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=rgNuNldpT_khttps%3A