Prince William will be going home with souvenirs for his children. At Rio’s famous Maracanã Stadium on November 3, the Prince of Wales was presented with gifts for Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven. The Wales siblings will be matching in personalized Fluminense shirts that bear their respective names, although Louis’ was spelled “Loui.”
Before traveling to Brazil for his fifth annual Earthshot Prize Awards, William spoke exclusively with HELLO! about his kids, saying: “As a father, I think constantly about the world my children will inherit. I want them to grow up surrounded by nature, opportunity and a sense of hope about the future. But I also know that unless we act boldly now, that future is at risk. The Earthshot Prize is about turning the tide, about proving to our children that we are willing to fight for their tomorrow.”
The Prince touched down in Brazil on November 3 to begin his first official visit to the country. While at Maracanã Stadium, for his second engagement of the day, William was also given his own football shirt by former Brazilian football player Caful. The signed shirt featured Cafu’s name and the number 2 on the back. The Prince appeared overawed to meet the player, and thanked him in Portuguese and English. “Obrigado!” he said. William, who wore chinos, a blue shirt and sustainable trainers by Mr Marvis, chatted to community leaders and young people from local football programmes which create safe, inclusive spaces for young people to build resilience, socialise and access mental health support. Terra FC is a campaign to mobilise millions of football fans in Brazil around the climate cause, encouraging clubs, fans, and governments to get involved in the fight against climate change.
During the engagement, Prince William showed off his footwork, taking part in a penalty shootout with children from Rio’s favelas. The future King scored a goal and dished out hugs and high fives after participating in drills with Brazil’s 2002 World Cup winning captain Cafu and a group of 8-12 year olds, which was organised by Terra FC (Earth FC). As he stepped up to take a penalty, there were cries of “William, William!” from the youngsters, who mobbed the Prince after he slotted the ball past the 14-year-old goalkeeper.
William was welcomed onto the pitch by Severiano Braga, CEO of the Maracanã Stadium, Luiz Eduardo, of Flamengo Football Club and Matheus Montenegro, Vice President, Fluminense Football Club. During the engagement, William told young people that he does not want to “tell them what to do” when it comes to saving the planet. Speaking to young leaders on a three-day Generation Earthshot programme, he said he would not be lecturing them but wanted to hear their ideas instead and harness their “courage and passion” to persuade business leaders to invest in the sector and hold the older generation’s “feet to the fire”.
© Aaron Chown – Pool/Getty ImagesThe heir to the throne was joined by Cafu for the session, with the Prince — a keen football fan — looking thrilled to be in the stadium. He told the player: “It’s an honour. We’ve all seen how your feet work.” As Cafu spoke to William via an interpreter, the Prince called himself a “football fan,” but “not an athlete”, asking the Brazilian if he had heard of his favourite side, Aston Villa.
© DANIEL RAMALHO/AFP via Getty ImagesInside the session for 18-30 year old future leaders from across Brazil, Singapore and South Africa, and 17 younger participants from Mini Cop – a version of the climate conference for 11-17 year olds, William told them: “All of your are doing fantastic work and I want to thank you for your bravery and courage. We need brilliant, courageous young leaders like yourselves. We’re here to give you any support you need, and you’re going to be the future.”
The Prince told one group that he wanted them to become “household names” for their inventions. Thanked for being there, William joked he was a “distraction from all the good things you’re doing”. “What I don’t want to do is tell any of you what to do,” he said. “It’s not my Earthshot, it’s your Earthshot. It’s a platform for you guys to get bigger and better,” adding, “That’s what I hope will be our legacy.”
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