NEED TO KNOW
- Prince William kicked off his second day in Brazil by exploring the local environment of Rio de Janeiro
- The Prince of Wales traveled by boat to the island of Paquetá
- After a few days of exploring local environmental causes, William’s trip will culminate with his 2025 Earthshot Prize awards on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
Prince William kicked off his second day in Brazil by exploring the local environment of Rio de Janeiro.
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, the Prince of Wales traveled by Brazilian naval boat to the island of Paquetá, which is located in Guanabara Bay. There, he spoke with locals to learn more about the island community and met with representatives from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio) who manage the local mangrove biome, trees or shrubs that grow in coastal saltwater areas.
Prince William, 43, took time to meet the crowd of 350 people, about a tenth of the island’s population. Although his visit was unannounced, word about their royal guest traveled quickly around the island.
During the walkabout, William stopped for selfies, consoled a woman who appeared to have injured her hand and chatted with locals, sometimes with the help of a translator.
At one point, Prince William reached out and picked up a 10-year-old baby boy named Joaquin, who was with his grandmother — who didn’t mind at all!
Andre Luis Junior, a teacher who is a cousin of Joaquin, tells PEOPLE, “Nobody asked him — he just picked him up! It’s probably because he has three kids. He loves kids.”
“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,” he adds. “We love that he chose to come here. The kids in school were so excited today.”
One local woman who is married to a Brit got William to send a message to him.
Luciana Meireles tells PEOPLE, “I called out, ‘Can you hi to my husband?’ And he said, ‘What’s your husband’s name?’ And I said Damian from Manchester. And he said hi to him. His parents will love that as they are big fans.”
Meireles adds that she had “no idea” that the prince was coming to their island until she went to a shop that morning and heard the news.
“I never thought he would come here to this island,” she says.
Prince William was given two paintings by Manuel Gomes de Castro, who was the crowd with his father, Alan Gomes de Castro. The paintings were of a Brazilian naval ship that was bought from the U.K. and a beach scene on the island.
“It was a nice opportunity to offer the pictures. It is symbolic because a landscape of Paqueta and the naval ship,” Alan tells PEOPLE. And his son adds, “He said, ‘Did you paint it?’ And thank you.’”
Alan adds, “He is here because of the mangroves. One was an ecological picture, and one was a British naval ship, so we thought he’d like. A lot of people were very excited, and there’s a lot of happiness here because of the prince.”
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After several days of visiting with Brazilian locals and environmental charities, William’s visit to Rio will culminate with the Earthshot Prize awards held at Rio’s Museum of Tomorrow on Wednesday, Nov. 5.
He will be joined by celebrities like Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes, as well as Brazilian soccer star Cafú, to celebrate the latest winners of his five prizes, which reward innovative and groundbreaking ideas to tackle the planet’s problems.
The prizes, including $1.3 million each, will be handed out to the winning innovators, selected from a group of finalists who have encouraged the prince with “their energy and momentum.”
While his wife, Kate Middleton, is not with Prince William on this visit, he recently opened up about how the Earthshot Prize was inspired by his family, including his and Kate’s three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7.
“As a father, I think constantly about the world my children will inherit,” William told Hello! magazine ahead of the trip. “I want them to grow up surrounded by nature, opportunity, and a sense of hope about the future.”
Though he admitted that the issues facing the environment are dire, the prince noted, “Urgent optimism is the heartbeat of the Earthshot Prize. It’s the belief that although the challenges we face are immense, the solutions are within reach, and we must act with speed and conviction to bring them to life.”
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