Prince William interrupts family holiday to announce major news
The Prince of Wales has unveiled the next location for his annual Earthshot Prize Awards.
For the first time, Prince William's environmental ceremony will be staged in South America.
The Earthshot Prize awards will take place in Rio de Janeiro in November, the same month Brazil is hosting the Cop30 UN climate change summit.
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The Prince's attendance at the Earthshot Prize is expected to be confirmed nearer the time but if the visit coincides with the gathering of world leaders for the UN event, the future king could be among them.
To mark the announcement, William said: "2025 marks the midway point of the Earthshot decade and each year we've witnessed the remarkable power of human ingenuity in addressing our planet's most pressing challenges.
"As we bring the Earthshot Prize to Brazil, a nation rich in biodiversity and environmental innovation, we are seeing fresh momentum for new ideas to create healthier and safer ways to live our lives.
"It is an honour to profile the people making our world a better place for us and for our children."
The Prince has attended the last four ceremonies - Cape Town last year, Singapore in 2023, Boston in 2022 and the inaugural ceremony in London in 2021.
The Princess of Wales joined her husband at the London and Boston events.
The couple's three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, have not yet joined their father at an Earthshot Prize ceremony.
In an interview with the travelling UK media in South Africa last year, William emphasised the importance of his children's education above their royal duties.
"Family-wise, you'll have to wait a little bit longer because obviously they're at school, and I think that takes priority over everything else," he said.
Star-studded support
A video will be released to mark the announcement of the venue location, featuring the Prince and a host of Earthshot supporters, including council members Cate Blanchett, global ambassador Robert Irwin, son of conservationist and TV personality Steve Irwin, and David Beckham, Hannah Waddingham and Heidi Klum, alongside former Brazilian footballers Cafu and Mauro Silva.
William founded the prize to recognise and scale-up ideas to help "repair" the planet, with the five winning finalists each awarded £1 million to further develop their ideas.
Awards are presented in five categories, or Earthshots – Protect and restore nature; Clean our air, Revive our oceans; Build a waste-free world; and Fix our climate.
