WILLIAM WINS HEARTS AND MINDS

The Prince of Wales follows in his mother's footsteps as he visits Brazil to make an inspiring call for climate action on the world stage

- EMILY NASH

It was a week of hope and optimism for the future, and the Prince of Wales's warmth and enthusiasm for his visit to Brazil won hearts at every turn.

From his impressive attempt at beach volleyball on Copacabana Beach to his rousing speech at the Cop30 summit in Belém, he showed an openness and a sense of fun that many Brazilians had not expected, while also proving his credentials as a global statesman and future King.

The highlight was the star-studded Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, where the Prince was joined on the green carpet by Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes – and also surprised the audience with a video message from Tom Cruise.

William rewore a Tom Ford tuxedo for the glittering outing to the Museum of Tomorrow, where both singers were performing, along with the Brazilian musicians Anitta, Seu Jorge and Gilberto Gil.

This year's five winners, who were each awarded £1m, were announced by more stars, including the two-time World Cup-winning football captain Cafu, the Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel, the Olympic gymnast Rebeca Andrade and the indigenous environmental activist Txai Surui.

The Protect and Restore Nature award was won by the Brazilian initiative re.green, which is restoring forest; the Clean Our Air prize went to the Colombian capital, Bogotá, for cutting pollution by 24%; and The High Seas Treaty, which is committed to protecting 30% of our oceans by 2030, won the Revive Our Oceans category.