Prince William has talked about the need for more good leaders, as well as putting on a display of his less serious side, on the first day of his tour to Brazil.
William, who is in the country all week for both his annual Earthshot Awards on Wednesday and COP30, the UN’s climate conference, started his trip with a penalty shootout at the iconic Maracana Stadium in Rio, before heading to Copacabana Beach to kick off his shoes and take part in a volleyball game.
On Tuesday, he will focus more heavily on his environmental work with a series of visits.
On Monday morning, he was welcomed to Rio with an honour reserved for the carnival king – the keys to the city.
Standing on top of Sugarloaf Mountain with a bird’s eye view of the city and the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue, he was greeted by the mayor of Rio, Eduardo Paes.
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Speaking about the significance of the key ceremony, he joked, “So he’s got the keys, he can do whatever he wants in the next 72 hours. The city belongs to Prince William. I’m still the king, but it will belong to him!”
William’s legacy goals
Ticking off some of the city’s most iconic locations, he met with Brazilian football legend Cafu at the Maracana.
He enlisted his help to highlight his Earthshot Awards, as they joined an event for young environmental campaigners and entrepreneurs.
Speaking to one group, William talked about the need for more good leaders, saying: “I need to work out how do I speed that up, but you guys are my hope, you’ve got the passion, the ambition that’s what this needs.”
He added: “That’s what I hope my legacy will be, in a few years time you’re kind of household names.”
William then went pitch side and met children learning about the environment and climate change through the sport-based organisation Terra FC.
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The prince ended his football drills by taking a penalty against keeper Pedro Enrique, 14, and was mobbed by youngsters wanting a high-five after he scored.
Pedro said afterwards: “I was scared and nervous but very excited as he was most the famous person to take a penalty kick. I didn’t let him score. It was a good penalty.”
