Prince William received a major honour on the first day of his trip to Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, ahead of his Earthshot Prize Awards.
On Monday, November 2, the Prince of Wales took a cable car up the famous Pao de Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain) and was gifted the keys to the city by Mayor Eduardo Paes.
The official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales shared stunning clicks of William and the mayor in front of scenic mountains and greenery as he received the milestone.
"Honoured to receive the keys to the city at the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro ahead of an exciting few days for The Earthshot Prize and United for Wildlife," the caption of the social media read.
"Thank you for the warm welcome Mayor @eduardopaes."
Following the event to welcome the prince, Paes informed the journalists present, "I'm still the king of Rio, but he'll be very welcome here. sharing the city's throne with me during these days."
William's visit came before he flies to the Amazon rainforest to address global leaders at the COP30 UN climate conference.
Paes said the prince was "amazed with the beauty of the city" and had discussed Rio's dramatic landscapes, with favelas clinging to forested hilltops that plunge into the ocean.
William's first visit to Brazil is centred around his annual Earthshot Prize which awards one million pounds ($1.3 million) to five pioneering projects tackling threats to the environment.
According to Kensington Palace, the future king will meet local communities and celebrate young climate leaders.
Following the Earthshot Awards ceremony on Wednesday, the heir to the British throne will fly to the Amazon city of Belem, host of the COP30 climate talks, to participate in a meeting of heads of state on Thursday and Friday.
William will deliver a speech on behalf of the British government and his father, King Charles.
