WILLIAM'S BRAZILIAN ADVENTURE

The Prince of Wales follows in his late mother Diana's footsteps during a trip to Brazil for his Earthshot Prize awards

- JENNIFER NEWTON

Prince William was joined by a host of stars, including Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes, as he took his Earthshot Prize to Brazil last week.

The Prince of Wales made a solo trip to Rio de Janeiro for the fifth instalment of his environmental awards, which were presented in South America for the first time. The awards proved the glittering centrepiece of William's Brazilian adventure as he hailed the next generation of environmentalists, saying the “future belongs to them”.

The 43-year-old shared the stage at the ceremony with four youngsters, who each made a declaration for a world they wanted to see - from one “where we can all breathe clean air” to a future where “rivers run clear, and wildlife thrives”.

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise, who called William a “dear friend”, also congratulated the award winners while singers Kylie and Shawn gave showstopping performances, as did Brazilian music icons Anitta and Seu Jorge.

William's passion project event in Brazil came as his estranged brother Prince Harry also carried out a major trip – visiting Canadian soldiers in Toronto.

At the same time as William geared up for The Earthshot Prize awards, Harry, 41, met with soldiers from the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and the Royal Regiment of Canada and discussed the units' contributions to Canadian military operations globally.

The engagement was part of his two-day visit to Toronto to meet veterans, members of the armed forces community and military charities in the lead-up to Remembrance Sunday.