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Prince William led a group of celebrities, philanthropists and world leaders on the green carpet at the Earthshot Awards ceremony in Brazil.
The awards ceremony, held at Rio’s Museum of Tomorrow on November 5, was the glamorous culmination of a three-day stay in Rio de Janeiro, where he welcomed singers and supporters to honor the latest recipients of the prestigious award.
The 43-year-old Prince of Wales arrived at the event wearing a Tom Ford tuxedo and a bow tie he already had in his closet, where he greeted the night’s performers. Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes spoke to the royal family before their entrance, and both expressed their support for Australia, which will next host the Earthshot Awards.
William also posed for a group photo with Minogue, Mendes, co-stars Seu Jorge and Anitta.
This glittering award ceremony was the fifth in his 10-year campaign to find solutions to the world’s problems. The evening’s awards ceremony recognized innovators in five categories:
It comes after a busy few days in which Prince William visited some of South America’s most famous landmarks to raise awareness of environmental projects.
Shortly after arriving by commercial flight from London on November 3, Prince William was greeted by Mayor Eduardo Paes and taken to the stunning Sugarloaf Mountain overlooking the city’s coastline. They then visited children across the city who are taking part in a project that uses soccer to promote best practices in caring for the climate and nature.
On November 4, he highlighted the efforts of indigenous communities to protect some of their threatened environments, such as mangroves.
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Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who sits on the Earthshot Prize Board, told PEOPLE that Prince William is still working hard to help award winners and finalists expand on their ideas, even five years after the project began.
“It’s, ‘How can we do more? How can we scale? How can we better support our finalists?’ The mission hasn’t changed, just the urgency of its reason for being,” she says.
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Regarding the event, which will be held in Brazil, she added: “Anywhere, and I think this is one of the reasons why this award works, because it’s so local, every place brings something different to the table. But as you know, the Earthshot Prize is a global award. The climate crisis affects us all. It’s only natural that the award moves and showcases some of the local efforts and some of the national efforts.”
On the eve of the visit, British Ambassador to Brazil Stephanie Alkirk told PEOPLE: “To me, he looks more than ready to step into that area. He has a very credible voice, and as Her Majesty’s Ambassador, I want to play my part in providing him with a platform to demonstrate his abilities.”
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After receiving the Earthshot Prize, Prince William will represent his father, King Charles, to meet world leaders gathered at the United Nations climate conference in Belem.
