Prince William announces major update for trip as Princess Kate's attendance in doubt

Prince William has issued a major update about a huge trip he will be embarking on later this year. The Prince of Wales's Earthshot Prize, which will be held in Brazil this year, announced that the awards will take place at Rio de Janeiro's Museum of Tomorrow on November 5.

Following the heir's attendance at various events this week during London Climate Action Week, the official countdown for this year's ceremony was announced, with the organisers saying that the new venue "symbolises the Earthshot’s commitment to innovation, science, and solutions for the future." William, Earthshot’s founder and president, launched the initiative in 2021.

The environmental competition is held annually and aims to discover, celebrate, accelerate and scale environmental solutions that can lead the world into harmony by 2030.

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Jason Knauf LVO, Chief Executive Office of The Earthshot Prize and William's close ally, said: "The Museum of Tomorrow is the perfect home for The Earthshot Prize and our mission of urgency and optimism for the planet.

"It’s going to be the best instalment yet of the world’s most prestigious and impactful environment prize."

While the prince's attendance at this year's ceremony was confirmed during London Climate Action Week, it is still unclear whether the Princess of Wales will attend. Last year, she did not attend Cape Town's event as she was undergoing treatment for cancer.

This will be the first time the prize will be held in Latin America, a move which was dubbed by the organisers as "a historic milestone that reinforces Brazil’s prominence on the global climate agenda".

In November, the country will also host COP30 in Belém to address the environmental challenges of this decade, in what's been seen as a significant move in its role regarding climate change.

Ahead of the awards ceremony in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro’s mayor, Eduardo Paes and the Museum of Tomorrow's director-general, Ricardo Piquet, attended the Leading with Impact event today alongside the prince during London's Climate Action Week to talk about the positive impact of the Earthshot Prize.

Mr Paes said: "It is a great privilege for Rio to host the Earthshot Prize for the first time in Latin America.

"This prestigious initiative plays a crucial role in turning climate solutions into reality, offering not only funding but also global visibility and strategic support to local projects."

Brazil is home to more than half of the Amazon Rainforest and nearly 20% of the world’s biodiversity.

Every year, five winners are awarded a prize of £1million by Earthshot to scale their solutions into reality.

The five different categories, or Earthshots, are Protect and Restore Nature, Clean the Air, Revive the Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Tackle the Climate Crisis.