Photo caption: Prince William
Prince William began a landmark five-day trip to Brazil on Monday, where he would visit some of Rio de Janeiro’s attractions in a series of events in the run-up to his Earthshot Prize ceremony on Wednesday evening.
The Prince of Wales will visit Rio’s beaches, the world-famous statue of Christ the Redeemer and attend events to better understand the biodiversity of the city on his first tour of Brazil.
He will join British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other world leaders at the global Cop30 climate change summit in the Amazonian city of Belem.
William will visit the city’s Maracana stadium and join school children taking part in football drills with former Brazilian defender Marcos Evangelista de Morais, better known as Cafu, to highlight the work of community leaders.
The football programmes attended by young people from communities across the city are inclusive spaces where they can build resilience, connect socially and access mental health resources.
The King is taking a keen interest in William’s environmental awards being staged in Rio.
William founded the Earthshot Prize to recognise and scale up ideas to help “repair” the planet, with the five winning finalists each awarded £1 million to further develop their ideas.
The prize recognises solutions from different geographies, sectors and stages in their life cycle, and is dedicated to solving the planet’s greatest challenges.
Pop princess Kylie Minogue and Canadian singer Shawn Mendes are some of the global stars who will be performing at the prize-giving ceremony, alongside Brazilian music icon and former Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil.
William said before leaving for Rio: “I am excited for my first visit and to experience Brazil’s vibrant culture, its extraordinary biodiversity, and above all, the warmth of its people.
“With the world’s eyes turning to Brazil this week, there is no better place to celebrate bold climate leadership.
“Hosting The Earthshot Prize allows us to not only recognise those driving change, but to be inspired by them. When we work together with optimism and courage, a more sustainable future is within our reach.”
William’s planned visit to Brazil follows a tumultuous period for the royal family after the King stripped his brother Andrew of his prince and Duke of York titles following lapses in judgment over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A source said: “The prince and the King have had a number of conversations about William’s visit to Brazil this week and the King takes a keen interest in the Earthshot Prize and what the prince is building.
“The King has read the prince’s speech… I can confirm that they have been talking about it and given that it’s such a shared topic that they feel extremely passionate about, I’m sure there’s been many conversations over recent months on the topic.”
=== ITV News ===
