King taking ‘keen interest’ in William’s Earthshot Prize being staged in Brazil

The King is taking a keen interest in the Prince of Wales’ environmental awards being staged in Rio de Janeiro as they share their passion for campaigning to safeguard the planet.

Charles and his son and heir have been discussing William’s first tour to Brazil which begins on Monday, where he will take part in a series of events in the run-up to the Earthshot Prize ceremony on Wednesday evening.

Pop star Kylie Minogue and Canadian singer Shawn Mendes are among the global stars who will be performing at the prize-giving ceremony, as is Brazilian music star and former minister of culture Gilberto Gil.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will join William at the star-studded event, where the prince will give the keynote speech, before both men gather with world leaders at the global Cop30 climate change summit, being staged in the Amazonian city of Belem.

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.

Charles and William have a track record of speaking out about the threats to the planet and working on solutions to mitigate the issues, with William’s ambitious Earthshot Prize – aimed at celebrating and scaling up solutions to environmental problems – now in its fifth year.

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.”

William founded the 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.

Hollywood actor Matthew McConaughey has voiced an awards trailer called Meet The World’s True Action Heroes, featuring the 15 finalists and showcasing their solutions.

The awards show on Wednesday will be hosted by Brazilian broadcaster Luciano Huck, and among the award presenters will be sports stars Marcos Evangelista de Morais, better known as Cafu, the former Brazilian defender, Sebastian Vettel, a four-time Formula One world champion, and Txai Surui, a leading voice for Brazil’s Indigenous communities and the environment.

The five categories, or Earthshots, are: protect and restore nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a waste-free world; and fix our climate.

Stephanie Al-Qaq, the UK’s ambassador to Brazil, said staging the UN Climate Change summit in the Amazon, which was at the centre of many environmental battles, was something William “couldn’t miss”.

She said: “…an experience for all leaders to come and have a COP in a place where it’s actually happening and see on the frontline what is happening, is a moment that I think His Royal Highness couldn’t miss because at the moment we need positivity, we need solutions and we need ambition.”