Details of Prince William’s Rio visit revealed ahead of Earthshot Awards ceremony

Prince William is ready for Rio!

The 43-year-old Prince of Wales will bring the Earthshot Prize for the fifth time to the Museum of Tomorrow in Rio de Janeiro on November 5th. But before that, he will visit some of the world-famous locations of the Brazilian city, indulge in famous sports and highlight some of the activities being done to protect nature.

Later in the week, William heads out to see the city’s rich biodiversity and the work being done by indigenous peoples and conservationists to protect nature and reverse harmful damage.

His Earthshot mission is halfway through its 10-year run and is all about inspiring and inspiring people with ideas to thwart some of Earth’s challenges. At this midpoint, many finalists have raised $500 million in investment and philanthropy to fund and grow land and sea reserves and projects the size of Italy, France and Greece combined.

In Brazil, Prince William will “shine the spotlight on the next generation of climate change leaders and why we need to act now more than ever to protect and restore our planet,” a spokesperson for the Prince of Wales said.

“This is an exciting time to be in Brazil, as environmental leaders across Latin America are driving bold, innovative approaches to protect and restore critical ecosystems like the Amazon while creating local jobs and economic opportunities.”

Prince William will also attend a summit of the United for Wildlife Consortium, which tackles illegal trade in some wild animals and endangered species.

Wednesday, November 5th is the day the Museum of Tomorrow celebrates the 15 finalists for his Earthshot Prize. There, a star-studded show featuring Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes will announce the latest winners of his five awards, which recognize innovative and breakthrough ideas tackling environmental issues. Earthshot marks the middle of a decade that William has spent finding solutions to Earth’s problems.

“With its energy, people and iconic landscape, this location is the perfect place to host the biggest and best Earthshot ever, celebrating amazing environmental innovation,” said Jason Knauf, CEO of the Earthshot Awards.

Following the first ceremony held in London in 2021, Rio will hold events in Boston, Singapore, and a follow-up to last year’s ceremony in Cape Town. This will also be Prince William’s first official visit to Latin America.

The winning innovators on November 5th will each receive five prizes worth $1.3 million. When announcing the finalists in October, William said he was encouraged by “their energy and momentum.”

He added: “For me, what has been at the heart of this award from the beginning is that urgent optimism. And that feels unstoppable.”

Brazil is an important location to host this occasion. It is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world and is home to half of the vital Amazon rainforest ecosystem. But it’s also home to what Prince William’s office calls “innovators and indigenous communities on the front lines” of the fight to combat the world’s pressing problems. That’s something he will emphasize in the coming days.

The prince, who is scheduled to arrive on a commercial flight, is mindful of questions about international travel given concerns for the planet. Hundreds of people will be jetting into Rio and across Brazil in the coming days as world leaders, environmentalists and business executives gather not only for Earthshot but also for the United Nations climate change conference, COP30. However, Prince William is not saying people should travel by plane or car.

A spokesperson for the Prince said: “The Prince created the Earthshot Prize to find solutions that will accelerate and restore the future of our planet. We are not looking back to the Ice Age, we are looking forward to the Green Age. The origins of what we are building were not, and never will be, in no-flying or no-caring.”

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Jason Knauf, CEO of Earthshot Awards, said: “This is a defining chapter for us as we celebrate the incredible progress made at the midpoint of Earthshot’s decade and look ahead with great ambition. “This decade was founded because we still have time to act, and with urgency and optimism we can act to make this decade count.”

Knauf expressed his pride in the progress made so far. “The momentum we have built in just five years is truly extraordinary,” he said, noting that the finalists had raised more than $500 million in investment and philanthropy and protected and restored more than 1 million hectares of land and sea.

And on November 6, the prince will represent his father, King Charles, to meet world leaders at the United Nations climate change conference in Belem.