William cuddles baby as he samples island life on trip to Brazilian retreat

The Prince of Wales cuddled a baby thrust at him from a sea of well-wishers when he met locals living on the Brazilian island retreat of Paqueta.

William travelled to the outcrop, a 50-minute ferry ride from Rio de Janeiro, to learn about its mangrove habitat and sample the slower pace of life on an island where there are no private cars and bicycles are the main form of transport.

The future king greeted dozens of well-wishers waiting behind crash barriers and at one point a baby – 10-month-old Joaquim Monteiro – was pushed towards him and he joked the grandparent “mustn’t drop him!” before giving him a cuddle.

Holding him with the confidence of a father of three young children, William said: “Bless him” before handing him back to his grandmother Christina.

Andre Luis Junior, the baby’s cousin and a teacher, said: “Nobody asked him – he just picked him up. It’s probably because he has three kids. He loves kids.”

He added: “It’s amazing. We are so happy, so happy he chose this very small island.

“We’re very unique in the heart of Rio. Very quiet. We love that he chose to come here. The kids in school were so excited today.”

The prince helped several young children come to the front of the meet and greet in the main square by the waterfront, bending down to be in photographs with them and occasionally borrowing a phone to take the selfie himself.

The island, which has around 5,000 residents, has declared the visit The Day Of The Prince, and children were given time off school to see him.

Many had created colourful drawings to hand over to him, calling him “Prince of the Island” and the visit “Prince Day”.

Retired lawyer Glaucia Martinez, 60, repeatedly touched William’s hand as he quizzed her about life on Paqueta where she lives.

The 60-year-old said: “He asked me about the island and I said that it’s safe, it’s charming, and it’s a good place to live.

“People here, they are good, good people, you know, honest people, and we live in peace here.

“And I said that I love Kate.”

Later, William took a boat tour of the Guapimirim mangrove area, a preserved and protected area of natural beauty in the northeast of Brazil’s picturesque Guanabara Bay.

Mangroves provide a range of environmental benefits, from storing carbon to acting as sheltered nurseries for marine fledglings and helping to mitigate storms by acting as a buffer zone.

Guapimirim is managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, protected by local communities including a 10-strong team of Mangrove “guardians” from Paqueta and has seen wildlife return after the tree stock was replanted following deforestation.

After planting three saplings with the guardians, William said: “I hope they grow well. Next time I come all this will all be mangroves.”

Rodrigo Toledo, mayor of Paqueta and the surrounding islands, said after the visit: “Paqueta 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.

“We even have a project here on the islands called the ‘Guardians of the Mangroves’, a team hired by the municipality made up of local residents to work on the mangroves, preserving them and providing all the necessary care.”

Eugenia Maria Dos Santos, 60, one of the guardians who helped William plant the new trees, said it was a “privilege” to host the prince.

She added: “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.”