Prince William walked the green carpet with Kylie Minogue but it was a cake that almost stole the show.
As the Prince of Wales arrived at the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, some of the big name stars taking part in the awards show were waiting to greet him.
And among them was Shawn Mendes who made a surprise announcement. He revealed that his mum was with him on the trip and that Prince William had sent her a cake as prize day was also her birthday.
(Kensington Palace/ Instagram)
Rebecca English of the Daily Mail reported that as the future king met the Canadian singer at the awards, Shawn Mendes said his mum was ”still shaking” after receiving the royal birthday treat.
Prince William, who went for his usual velvet tux look for the Earthshot Prize ceremony, posed for photos alongside Mendes and Kylie as well as Brazilian stars, Seu Jorge and Anitta.
They were among the big names taking part in the glittering event which is now in its fifth year.
Ahead of handing out the five prizes, each worth £1 million for an environmental project, Prince William spoke of the work all the finalists had done, calling them all a ”shining example”.
In his speech, Prince William said they all showed ”how we can build stronger economies, design healthier cities, and create better jobs for the next generation. We can support the dreamers and innovators who work tirelessly to build a more sustainable world. We can protect our beautiful planet for all life that calls it home.”
And he looked to the future, noting that ”the choices we make during this decade will define us. But more importantly, they will define the lives of young people. The future belongs to them. They are the ones who will inherit the planet we are fighting to protect. They are the ones who will continue to drive our momentum forwards.”
This year’s winners were the City of Bogota in the Clean Our Air category and Lagos Fashion Week in the Build A Waste Free World category. The prize for Fix Our Climate went to the organisation, Friendship, which offers aims to develop scalable solutions to support and strengthen communities that are marginalised.
(Kensington Royal/ Instagram)
The award for Revive Our Oceans went to The High Seas Treaty while Protest and Restore Nature’s winner this year was re:green which restores tropical rainforests.
Prince William presented the prizes which will enable each winner to grow and develop their work over the coming years.
The Prince of Wales has already carried out several days of engagements around the environment during his time in Brazil including planting mangrove seedlings and seeing how sport can support children in marginalised communities.
William also visited the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio where he posed for a photo, recreating a famous image featuring his mother, Diana, who made an official trip to Brazil in 1991.
The Prince now heads to Belem where he will represent King Charles at the COP30 Heads of State summit before returning home where he will help lead tributes on Remembrance Sunday.
