Best photos from Prince William's eco adventure in Brazil

Having arrived on a commercial flight, William headed straight for his first engagement – a visit to Sugarloaf Mountain. The Prince travelled up the peak by cable car where he was met at the top by Mayor Eduardo Paes and was symbolically handed the keys to Rio de Janeiro.

The mayor later revealed that William was "amazed" by the scenery. "He was very nice. Amazed with the beauty of the city, and we are very happy to have him here. It's big honour for the city," Mayor Paes said.

The pair admired the view and as they posed for photographs against the backdrop of Christ the Redeemer, the Mayor shouted: "Viva Rio!"

Taking part in a walkabout, William proved he was the prince of popularity as members of the public jostled to chat to and have selfies with him.

Prince William, who is an avid football fan, was presented with a signed football shirt by former Brazilian player Cafu on November 3, before meeting with participants of the Generation Earthshot Programme, which aims to help young people develop skills to become climate leaders.

The Prince and the former football player posed for a photo together at Maracanã Stadium.

The future King hit the field at the stadium to participate in a football drill with local children.

The Prince took a penalty shot against goalie Pedro Enrique, 14, and was mobbed by youngsters wanting a high-five after he scored. The 14-year-old said afterwards: "I was scared and nervous but very excited as he was [the] most famous person [to] take a penalty kick. I didn’t let him score. It was a good penalty."

The royal dad-of-three was swarmed with hugs before leaving. William, who was thanked for being there, joked he was a "distraction from all the good things you're doing". 

"What I don't want to do is tell any of you what to do," he said. "It's not my Earthshot, it's your Earthshot. It's a platform for you guys to get bigger and better."

The Prince added: "That's what I hope will be our legacy."

Prince William wrapped up day one of his visit to Brazil at the world-famous Copacabana Beach, where he met emergency responders who are responsible for keeping people safe.

The Prince, who played water polo back in school, showed off his impressive beach volleyball skills during a game with players from a local beach volleyball school run by Brazilian player Carolina Solberg.

Carolina praised William's skills, saying he had "a lot of energy." "He's tall. He can hit. I think he could be really good if he practiced more," Carolina said. "I think he was having fun and it was amazing to play with him. It was such a pleasure."

The second day of William's Brazil visit took him to the small island of Paquetá in Rio de Janeiro's Guanabara Bay. 

The Prince was given a rock star welcome and was greeted with cries of "William! William!" as he disembarked a small Brazilian Navy boat from the mainland.  

Participating in a walkabout, the father-of-three happily shook hands with members of the public, posed for selfies, and even held ten-month-old Joaquim Monteiro who was handed to him by his grandmother Christina.

William joked "mustn't drop him!" as he asked the baby's name and age. Cuddling Joaquim, William said "bless him" before handing him back.  

In Paquetá, William was taken on a tour of the Guapimirim mangrove area. He met locals who have been helping to clean and protect the region's waters and wildlife, and learnt about the restoration work taking place there.

The Prince willingly got stuck in, taking part in a planting activity with local guardians of the mangroves. He learnt about the preservation of the mangroves and the science and intention behind the reforestation schemes.  

As he crouched down to plant the first of three trees, William asked: "How quickly will this guy take to get to here?", holding his hand a metre off the ground. The Prince was informed that they "grow pretty quickly."

"Look after it. I hope it grows well," he replied.

When it came time to plant the second, William asked: "Is that enough mud? It's amazing that they live in such water." 

Rodrigo Toledo, mayor of Paqueta and the surrounding islands, said: "Paquetá is an area totally dedicated to environmental protection. And we know that Prince William has dedicated his life to this agenda, to the protection of nature, so it is very important for him to come here."  

Meanwhile, one of the guardians who helped William plant the new trees, Eugenia, said it was a "privilege" to host the Prince. 

Eugenia said: "The most important thing for me is his humility. Money doesn’t buy happiness. So many people think they are better than others but the Prince has come here and used his own hands to plant the mangroves. It brings great happiness to the Brazilian people."

At the United for Wildlife Summit, the Prince wore a scarf that was given to him by Vanda Witoto, Climate Activist & Indigenous Leader, from the Witoto people in the Brazilian Amazon. 

Vanda placed the scarf, which took over three hours to make, over William's head. Through a translator, she told him that it symbolised food and health.

Prince William, who with the Royal Foundation founded United for Wildlife in 2013, delivered a landmark speech at the summit. "We must put a stop to the criminal networks driving environmental crime and destruction," he said in his remarks.

"We must stand alongside those who everyday are standing up and defending nature. We must recognise and celebrate these protectors, not just in words but through our actions. And we must act together," the Prince added. "Governments, businesses and civil society — each must now step up and play their role in developing solutions, scaling support, and shifting resources to where they are needed most."

This year’s United for Wildlife Summit focused on two key areas: spotlighting the issue of environmental crime and amplifying the voices of Indigenous Peoples and local communities who play a vital role as Guardians of our planet.

On the third day of his visit, ahead of the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony, William travelled to the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue with Mayor Eduardo Paes.

The Prince met the 15 finalists who would find out later in the day whether they had won the 2025 Prize. The group gathered at the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, where they spoke to William about their experience of the Earthshot Prize Finalist Programme, as well as their ambitions and hopes ahead of the awards.

There are five categories in the Prize Awards: Clean Our Air, Build A Waste Free World, Fix Our Climate, Revive Our Oceans, and Protect and Restore our Nature.

All of the finalists take part in a year-long Finalist Programme where they receive training, mentorship, international visibility, pro-bono legal support, and strategic digital and communications advice. That support includes access to the Prize's global network of businesses, philanthropists, investors and environmental organisations committed to climate action.

In a touching moment, William followed in the footsteps of his mother Princess Diana by posing in front of the statue. Diana visited Brazil in April 1991 with Prince Charles.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson, speaking to the travelling media pack, said: "The Prince has loved meeting so many people from across Rio over the last few days. He's been incredibly struck by the number of people who fondly remember his mother's visit to this beautiful city."

While at Christ the Redeemer, the Prince was also taken to visit the chapel underneath the iconic attraction by Father Omar Raposo, the guardian of the sanctuary.

Later in the day, William hopped on the Earthshot Prize Tram to head to the Earthshot Prize Summit: Impact Assembly. The Earthshot-branded tram alighted at Earthshot Boulevard - a road in the city's port area that has been renamed for the occasion.  

Arriving with deputy mayor Eduardo Cavaliere, William was welcomed by Earthshot CEO Jason Knauf, before heading into Pier 3, the venue for the  Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly, which is showcasing inspiring stories from the Earthshot network over the past year as well as highlighting some of the most significant investments which will help propel the Finalists' solutions forward.

The summit was attended by CEOs, representatives from government, Earthshot Prize Finalists, Indigenous leaders and youth advocates.

During the summit, the Prince also took part in a discussion with Christiane Amanpour, the summit's host and Chief International Anchor for CNN.

Prince William spoke with CNN’s chief international anchor Christiane Amanpour at The Earthshot Prize Summit: Impact Assembly, where he revealed what he tells his kids about their future. 

"You have to provide a leadership and a vision that there's good things to come, and that it's not all negative," the royal dad of three said. "And for my children, particularly, knowing that the planet is going to be in a healthier, better state because of the brilliant people in this room is something that I love to tell them, you know, when they go to bed. It's like, 'It's going to be great, your future is going to be as bright as futures gone by.' And that's a really important message for all of us to hear."

In the evening, Prince William hit the green carpet at the Earthshot Prize Awards ceremony, posing for a group shot with performers Seu Jorge, Anitta, Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes.

Shawn thanked Prince William for his kindness when he asked about the singer's mother, Karen. "She's still shaking, thank you," Shawn told the royal, who had also surprised Karen with a cake after hearing it was her birthday on Sunday. 

At the ceremony, William posed with the five winners, each of whom will receive £1million to fund their eco projects.

The winners from the five categories were:

- Protect and Restore Nature: re.green, Brazil  

- Clean Our Air: The city of Bogotá, Colombia

- Revive Our Oceans: The High Seas Treaty (Global) 

- Build a Waste-Free World: Lagos Fashion Week, Nigeria

- Fix Our Climate: Friendship, Bangladesh

William had a Kylie fan moment as he thanked the Aussie pop star for performing at his ceremony. "Thank you so much, honestly, the whole thing was fantastic," the Prince told Kylie, commenting on the fact that "everyone was up and dancing!"

William then appeared to suggest Kylie could perform at another Earthshot Prize ceremony in future. "It's a deal," she told him.