Prince William flew overnight to Brazil, where he will spend the next week (or longer) in Rio de Janeiro and Belém. William is hosting the Earthshot Prize BS in Rio, then he’s apparently going to Belém for at least a day or two of COP30, the big climate conference which either starts on November 10th (a week from today) or on Thursday (the 6th). To embiggen himself ahead of all of this, William agreed to a Hello Magazine cover, with some exclusive comments about how he’s a major environmentalist (who uses private planes, helicopters and yachts). Jason Knauf is also quoted extensively throughout the piece, and Knauf swears that William is “very happy to roll up his sleeves, get on the phone or travel to meetings.” LOL, all evidence to the contrary. You can read Hello’s cover story here, I found it extremely boring and out-of-touch for a man who just moved into his sixth forever home and grabbed 150 acres of a public park. Speaking of, William wants people to know that his dad helped him with his big COP30 speech!
The King helped the Prince of Wales with the “landmark” speech he will deliver at a climate summit later this week. The Prince has had numerous conversations with his father about COP30, a source has said, sharing a draft of his speech for the monarch’s thoughts ahead of time.
The trip, which will be the first time the Prince has visited Latin America in an official capacity, will see him address world leaders about climate change and the environment. He will be representing his father and the British government at the event. The Prince and King Charles are both “extremely passionate” about saving the planet, with the King having previously attended COP summits.
The King has also taken a “keen interest” in Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, a Palace source added, which will hold its award ceremony in Rio de Janeiro this week. As he boarded a commercial flight to Brazil, the Prince said he is “excited” to experience the country’s “vibrant culture” and the “warmth of its people”.
He will undertake five days of engagements in Rio de Janeiro and Belem, and added that there is “no better place to celebrate” the “bold leadership” of those trying to save the planet. On Wednesday, he will speak at the Earthshot Prize ceremony, where Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes will perform. He will also tour Brazilian landmarks such as Christ the Redeemer, the Maracana stadium and the beaches. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, will join him for part of the trip.
In a statement as he boarded the commercial flight, the Prince said: “As I depart for Rio de Janeiro, I am excited for my first visit and to experience Brazil’s vibrant culture, its extraordinary biodiversity, and above all, the warmth of its people. With the world’s eyes turning to Brazil this week, there is no better place to celebrate bold climate leadership. Hosting The Earthshot Prize allows us to not only recognise those driving change, but to be inspired by them. When we work together with optimism and courage, a more sustainable future is within our reach.”
I’m very curious to see how the timing of the trip pans out, because if William plans on delivering a COP30 speech THIS week, he’ll possibly make the speech in front of a nonexistent crowd? I’m looking through the UN materials and they have different start dates for the conference, so who knows. It’s quite possible that this is very much like William’s 2023 “I had meetings at the UN” situation, where his staff finessed a meeting across from the UN building and told everyone that Huevo was a big and important global statesman. As I said, I’m curious to see the optics on the COP30 stuff. The stuff about Charles helping William with his speech is funny too, considering last week’s New Statesman cover story made it sound like William is close to illiterate.
Cover courtesy of Hello, photos courtesy of Cover Images.
