Prince William reiterated an important message as he took the stage in the star-studded ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, before he handed about prizes for the evening.
The Prince of Wales beamed as he greeted the audience with a “Good evening and welcome” in Brazilian Portuguese. The founder of the environment-focused initiative gave hope for the future of the planet in inspiring words.
He was “delighted” to welcome everyone for the fifth annual Earthshot Prize Award Ceremony and said thank you for “the incredibly warm welcome” he received this week.
“It’s been heartening to see how the people of Brazil have passionately embraced the challenges we all face to protect our natural world.”
Kensington Palace chose a special excerpt to highlight from the event as William shared a crucial reminder that there is still hope and good work is being done to alleviate the planet of its urgent issues.
“When I founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020, we had a ten-year goal to make this the decade in which we transformed our world for the better,” he said. “We set out to tackle environmental issues head on and make real, lasting changes that would protect life on Earth. It was a mission driven by the kind of extraordinary optimism we felt here tonight from these innovators.”
He added that the finalists’ “work is the proof we need that progress is possible”.
“Their stories are the inspiration that gives us courage, and there’s a great deal we can learn from their determination and their vision for scale, as well as their unyielding belief that we can create a better world,” he continued. “It’s no exaggeration to say that they are the world’s true action heroes.”
Prince William was joined by stars, including Kylie Minogue, Shawn Mendes and Anitta.
F1 champion Sebastian Vettel, Brazilian Olympic gymnast Rebeca Andrade and former Brazil football captain Cafu were called upon to present the prizes to the finalists.
The winners received £1 million prizes each to help in their endeavour and further the mission of saving the planet.
The ceremony was watched by estimated 34 million people in Brazil and the UK, according to Hello!. Moreover, there were performances from Kylie Minogue, Shawn Mendes, , Grammy Award winner Seu Jorge and legendary Brazilian musician and former culture minister Gilberto Gil duetted with Anitta.