The Prince of Wales played barefoot volleyball on an iconic Brazilian beach after telling next generation of environmental leaders he wants the Earthshot Prize to be “our legacy”.
William took his socks and shoes off for the game with a leading female sportswoman after spending his first day in Rio de Janeiro visiting its major attractions and highlighting the importance of sports to educate the next generation.
He earlier visited Sugarloaf mountain, where he was presented with the keys to the city – an honour reserved for the Carnival King – and was mobbed by school children after scoring a penalty playing football in the world famous Maracana stadium.
The future King is making a five-day visit to Brazil, his first trip to the country, to stage his Earthshot Prize in Rio and join world leaders at the Cop30 global climate change summit in Belem in the Amazon.
As the sun started to set on Copacabana beach, William joined a volleyball game with Brazilian Olympian Carolina Solberg and other locals after taking his shoes and socks off.
They played for almost 10 minutes, with the prince leaping in the air and taking several tumbles on the sand as he attempted to save the ball.
William rotated positions as he showed his prowess at the sport, with scores of well-wishers cheering him on as he got stuck in and told his teammates that his height helped.
When someone attempted to break him away from the game, he joked: “We’ll be here all night you guys, talk amongst yourselves.”
He played alongside young people from a local beach volleyball school run by Solberg, known as the Levante Institute, which aims to transform the lives of children from disadvantaged communities through sport.
Earlier, he met a group of young environmental advocates when he first arrived at the Maracana stadium in Rio and said he did not want to “tell them what to do” when it comes to saving the planet.
He was joined by Brazilian football legend Cafu and they met young people who were part of the Generation Earthshot Programme – a three-day programme to help young people develop skills to become climate leaders – and teenagers taking part in a “mini Cop”, mirroring the global summit.
During the event, William said to the young leaders: “All of you 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.”
He added: “What I don’t want to do is tell any of you what to do. It’s not my Earthshot, it’s your Earthshot. It’s a platform for you guys to get bigger and better.
“That’s what I hope will be our legacy.”
