Prince William travels to Brazil next week for the ceremony to present his multimillion-dollar environmental award, hoping to divert attention from his uncle Andrew’s scandal and return to royal causes.
William is expected to visit some of the most famous tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro, in what will be the British heir’s first trip to Latin America.
The aim is to draw attention to a range of environmental projects ahead of the Prince’s annual Earthshot Awards ceremony.
The visit comes days after the king expelled him from public life to try to avoid any further damage to the royal image in light of Andrew’s ties to the deceased.
During his three-day trip, William will look to focus on his main environmental philanthropic cause, which aims to find innovations to combat climate change and award five winners with £1 million ($1.3 million) each to boost their projects.
William is expected to visit Pão de Açúcar, the Maracanã football stadium, the statue of Christ the Redeemer and Copacabana beach, where he will play volleyball, said a Kensington Palace spokesperson.
His wife Kate, who is in remission after cancer treatment, will not be accompanying him.
South America is an unusual destination for British royalty, who tend to concentrate their foreign trips in Europe or in foreign kingdoms where the king is head of state, such as Canada.
William has never been to Brazil or Latin America before, while Charles was last there in 2009.
This year, Earthshot events will take place a week before the United Nations COP30 climate summit, which will also be held in Brazil and in which the prince will take part in his father’s place.
“With its energy, its people and its iconic landscapes, Brazil is the perfect place to celebrate incredible environmental innovation and host our biggest and best Earthshot ever,” said Jason Knauf, CEO of the Earthshot Prize.
The winners will be announced at a ceremony on November 5th, which will be attended by several celebrities and performances by Australian pop star Kylie Minogue and Brazilian musician Gilberto Gil.
Organizers say the summit surrounding the event will attract more than 1,000 global leaders, some of the world’s biggest philanthropists, as well as world-renowned mayors and scientists.
