The Prince of Wales has followed in his mother's footsteps by posing for a photograph at the summit of Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, standing in the exact spot where Diana, Princess of Wales took in the views 34 years ago. William was visiting the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue to meet the finalists of his Earthshot Prize, a global environmental competition.
The prince paused for a moment of quiet reflection at the location where his mother posed in April 1991 during a tour of Brazil with King Charles III. In the background, the famous Sugarloaf mountain featured in the original image of Diana, taken when William was an eight-year-old schoolboy.
William is on a five-day visit to Brazil, his first to the South American country, to stage the Earthshot Prize. The star-studded awards ceremony will be held in Rio on Wednesday evening, with Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes among the performers. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will join the prince at the event before both attend the Cop30 climate talks in Belem on Thursday.
During his visit to the statue, William met the 15 Earthshot finalists, including British entrepreneur Adam Root, whose invention removes microplastics from washing machine water. The prince praised the idea and said he would pay full price for the device. Root, from Essex, developed the filter with a £250 grant from The King's Trust and has since raised over £15 million for the business.
A Kensington Palace spokesperson said the prince had been struck by how many people fondly remembered his mother's visit to Rio. William also took part in a 'fireside' chat ahead of the awards, discussing change and the importance of backing the next generation to find solutions to 'repair' the planet.
