- - Prince William Dotes Over Newborn as He Meets Earthshot Finalists at Iconic Brazilian Landmark

Simon PerryNovember 5, 2025 at 9:37 AM

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Prince William, Prince of Wales meets the 2025 Earthshot Prize Finalists at Christ the Redeemer during day three of his visit to Brazil -

Prince William started his third day in Brazil at the Christ the Redeemer statue

There, he met up with the 2025 Earthshot Prize finalists ahead of the awards ceremony this evening

William was also introduced to two-month-old Maria Beatriz by her parents, Eduardo Cavaliere, the deputy mayor of Rio de Janeiro, and his wife, Victoria, asking them whether the tot was sleeping well and holding her hand

Prince William had a spectacular start to the morning of his third day in Rio when he visited the stunning Christ the Redeemer stutue, the city's iconic landmark.

And the dad of 3 got a surprise among his welcome party, a little 2-month-old baby was among the entourage waiting to meet him.

Arriving in the plaza below the famous statue, he was taken to meet the deputy Mayor of Rio and his wife as well as the wife of the mayor, Eduardo Paes.

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William, 43, who looked smart in a blue blazer proudly featuring his Remembrance Day pin, was introduced to baby Maria Beatriz by her parents, Eduardo Cavaliere, the deputy mayor of Rio de Janeiro, and his wife, Victoria.

"She’s sweet. Is she sleeping well? That’s always key," he asked Cavaliere and his wife. After complimenting her "good grip," William asked if it was Maria's first time visiting the iconic statue while holding her little hand.

After being taken into the chapel at the statue's base, the Prince of Wales spent time with the 2025 Earthshot Prize finalists at the iconic landmark ahead of the ceremony tonight, talking to them in groups spread out along the sightseeing platform.

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Prince William, Prince of Wales meets the 2025 Earthshot Prize Finalists at Christ the Redeemer during day three of his visit to Brazil

William spoke to all 15 finalists, hearing about their experience of the Earthshot Prize Finalist Programme and their ambitions ahead of the awards. All Earthshot Prize finalists take part in a year-long Finalist Programme where they receive mentorship, international visibility, pro-bono legal support and strategic communications advice to help accelerate progress and maximize impact. That support includes access to the Earthshot Prize’s ambitious global network of businesses, philanthropists, investors and environmental organizations committed to climate action.

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Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes and Prince William, Prince of Wales on a visit to Christ the Redeemer

Thiago Picolo, the CEO of Brazil's Re.Green, which has been shortlisted in the Protect and Restore Nature category, says his company restores forests that were cut down decades — or sometimes centuries — ago. Picolo called Prince William’s arrival in Brazil, "tremendously exciting."

"I think Prince William, as well as his father, are well-known experts and activists in the conservation space, in the restoration space, in nature as a whole," he says. "So it's exciting to be getting this recognition from someone who has got so much depth and a clear track record in doing this. It's also exciting personally to be able to rub shoulders with him and with the whole Earthshot community as a whole."

Picolo says that Earthshot was a reason for them starting the company, which is only four years old. "It gave us another boost," he says. "It was like, you know, things are coming together. It's the right time for us to put this together, look at what Prince William is doing, what other people are doing and bringing recognition for this.”

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Prince William, Prince of Wales meets the 2025 Earthshot Prize Finalists at Christ the Redeemer

Runa Khan, founder and executive director of Friendship in Bangladesh, which is shortlisted in the Fix Our Climate category for its work helping people displaced by climate-induced weather like erosion and flooding, says of the recognition: “Everyone knows the Earthshot Prize, and we are already getting a lot of interest because of it. For me, personally, it is what has been recognized."

Friendship started with a floating hospital and now reaches 7.5 million people every year with its healthcare and education.

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Prince William, Prince of Wales meets the 2025 Earthshot Prize Finalists

"For 23 years we have been working, and that was at a time when activism wasn’t there for the climate," he says. "It was there but not really recognized so much. I went from people who were the poorest, unaddressed and migratory. And why wasn’t anyone finding solutions for them?"

She says William is a facilitator for them. "This charming young prince is a door-opener,” she tells PEOPLE. “Because of his name, and us getting into Earthshot is a door-opener. The horizon is there for us, but because of his recognition, I feel confident now to work or help countries where it is needed, even in the government area."

“I hope [Prince William] will help with opening doors because he understands the project very deeply and help us reach a lot more people and governments in other countries."

Former winner Pierre Paslier from 2022 winner Notpla, which creates regenerative packaging materials using a seaweed substitute for plastic coating, is trialing a new coffee cup at the awards week. The company, which now has its products in football stadiums (including for William's favorite's Aston Villa) and at Coldplay gigs last summer, has replaced 30 million single-use plastics to date.

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Padre Omar Raposo, The Guardian of The Sanctuary, Christ The Redeemer, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes on a visit to Christ the Redeemer

"We’re incredibly lucky that Prince William cares deeply about seaweed. He has identified it as a topic where his heart is," he tells PEOPLE. "It is one of the solutions that we have been getting a lot of awareness with what we do.”

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Tonight, winners will be announced across the five categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. A $1.3 million prize is awarded to the winner in each category annually to support innovative solutions to environmental challenges.

The ceremony will also count Kylie Minogue, Shawn Mendes and Brazilian soccer star Cafú among its guests.

Prince William's exciting trip to Brazil also included playing beach volleyball at Copacabana Beach, kicking a soccer goal at Maracanã Stadium and planting some mangroves.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”