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we’ve seen a lot Prince William Recently – and we’re going to see a lot more.
The heir to the British throne will be on the streets of Rio de Janeiro this week to promote his Earthshot Prize, an initiative to find solutions to major environmental issues. This will also be followed by the UN climate summit COP30 in Brazil, where William will represent his father the King Charles IIIand UK Government.
William’s visit to the Brazilian metropolis, famous for Copacabana Beach and its annual carnival, is the latest installment of the monarchy’s campaign to portray the prince as a politician ready to become king.
The scale of the task facing her has been underlined by the King’s dramatic decision to strip her brother Andrew of his royal title and Windsor home because of his friendship with a sex offender. Jeffrey EpsteinWilliam was consulted on the move to strip Andrew of his honors because allegations against the king’s brother threatened to engulf the royal family.
In recent weeks, William appeared with his father at a gala COP30 event in London, wiped away tears while speaking to a grieving widow about her husband’s suicide, and gave an interview to the actor eugene levy In which he discussed his plans for the monarchy.
“He’s sending a lot of signals about how he wants to be monarch when the time comes,” said Sally Bedell Smith, author of “Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes of an Improbable Life.”
“And given the fact that his father has been ill for almost two years, I think it would be irresponsible for him not to pave the way for what we hope will not happen in the near future.”
Charles, of course, shows some signs of slowing down, hosting a state visit from US President Donald Trump in September before jetting off to pray with Pope Leo XIV a month later. But the reality behind all this excitement is that the king will turn 77 this month and has been undergoing treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer since early 2024.
And so the palace makes careful preparations, as it always does.
Plan and then plan some more
Unlike the prime minister and parliament, who exist in the everyday realities of electoral politics, Britain’s hereditary monarchy thinks years, if not decades, ahead, said Craig Prescott, an expert in monarchy and constitutional law at Royal Holloway University of London.
He describes the organization as somewhat like an oil tanker, which takes so much time to get started that small improvements now will lead to big changes later.
“They need a watchman always looking out for the icebergs,” Prescott said. “And in a sense, that’s what they do.”
William likes to think big
So it’s no coincidence that Williams’ Earthshot award is coming to Rio at the same time as world leaders prepare to gather in Belém, the gateway to the Amazon River basin, for the latest effort to solve the global climate crisis.
Earthshot, which offers $1 million prizes in each of five categories, is one of William’s key ideas, with this being the type of project he could focus on if he becomes king.
He established the award in 2020, inspired by U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “Moonshot” speech, which challenged Americans to go to the Moon by the end of that decade. William’s goal is to accelerate the pace of environmental innovation to tackle problems such as climate change, marine plastic pollution and wildlife habitat loss by 2030.
Change on the horizon
As it enters its fifth year, Earthshot looks to be changing gears.
So far the prize has focused primarily on small startups, in the hope that their technologies can be scaled to solve global problems. There is now widespread recognition that policy innovation, bringing countries and communities together, will be vital in addressing these existential issues, said Bob Ward, director of policy and communications at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
This year’s finalists include the United Nations High Seas Treaty, which seeks to protect the marine environment beyond national jurisdiction; Guangzhou city of China, a leader in electrification of public transportation; and Lagos Fashion Week, which promotes sustainable, craft-based clothing makers to combat the wave of fast-fashion rejects that is literally arriving on African shores.
The winners will be announced on Wednesday night after three days of policy discussions and photo opportunities such as Williams playing volleyball on Copacabana Beach and participating in a soccer penalty shootout at the Maracana Stadium.
William will then travel to the COP30 summit of world leaders where politicians, environmental campaigners and community organizations will debate ways to accelerate efforts to cut carbon emissions that cause global warming. While Charles has represented Britain at previous climate summits, speaking out on an issue he has championed long before most other leaders, this year his eldest son will take center stage.
It’s a chance for Williams, a 43-year-old father of three, to demonstrate what he discussed with Levy on his Apple TV+ show “The Reluctant Traveler.”
“I think it’s safe to say that change is on my agenda, change for good,” he told Levy after a tour of Windsor Castle. “I embrace it, and I enjoy that change. I’m not afraid of it. That’s what excites me.”
Williams will take that agenda to the COP summit.
“Certainly, you know, he would speak as someone of his father’s younger generation and emphasize that this is an issue that will persist,” Ward said. “And of course, it’s true that the people to whom it matters most are the youngest people in the world and there are future generations who will have to live with the consequences for a long time without our ability to deal with this problem or otherwise.”