Prince William to represent King Charles at landmark global climate summit in Brazil…reports Asian Lite News
The Prince of Wales will attend the COP30 climate summit in Brazil next month on behalf of the King, Kensington Palace has announced. The summit will take place in the northern Brazilian city of Belém, and will mark one of the most high-profile international engagements Prince William has undertaken in the sphere of climate action.
The announcement came as Prince William and King Charles appeared together on Thursday evening at a reception ahead of the environmental conference. The event, held at the Natural History Museum, was a pre-COP30 gathering co-hosted by the UK government. It was an unusual joint appearance by father and son, reflecting the continuity of their public roles on the issue of environmental protection.
The King has been a longstanding advocate of protecting nature, while Prince William has developed his own distinctive platform through his Earthshot Prize awards, which this year will take place in Brazil in the days leading up to the COP summit. The awards ceremony is scheduled for Rio de Janeiro, and will conclude on 5 November, with the prince attending the COP30 summit in Belém on 6 November.
Arriving together at the Natural History Museum in the state Bentley, the King and Prince William were introduced to a broad group of guests including environmentalists, scientists, climate change campaigners, diplomats and politicians. Among those present was Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, who greeted the Prince of Wales on his arrival. Former Prime Minister Theresa May was also in attendance and spoke to the King about the role of COP summits in advancing international cooperation.
Royal sources have described Prince William’s forthcoming attendance at COP30 as stepping up to play an increasingly important role in “climate diplomacy”. This follows on from his participation earlier this year in the Blue Economy and Finance Forum in Monaco, where he appeared alongside President Emmanuel Macron of France and other world leaders to discuss financial strategies to support ocean sustainability and climate goals.
The Earthshot Prize has become a centrepiece of Prince William’s climate agenda. Conceived as a global competition to encourage innovative solutions to environmental problems, it brings together entrepreneurs, scientists and activists to present projects that could make a measurable difference to sustainability. Last week, the prince described this year’s Earthshot finalists as “heroes of our time”. The decision to host the awards in Brazil was intended to underline the country’s central role in global environmental challenges, particularly with the Amazon rainforest at the heart of climate and biodiversity concerns.
King Charles, meanwhile, continues to be seen as a guiding figure in international climate advocacy. He gave the opening address at COP28 in Dubai, warning delegates: “The Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth.” In the same speech he reflected on his decades-long commitment to environmental issues, saying: “I have spent a large proportion of my life trying to warn of the existential threats facing us over global warming, climate change and biodiversity loss.”
The King’s record at climate summits is well established, but his health and age have meant that increasing responsibility is now being shared with the Prince of Wales. Prince William’s attendance at COP30 is expected to reinforce continuity in the royal family’s engagement on environmental diplomacy, while also marking a new phase in which he takes a more prominent role on the global stage.
The COP30 conference in Belém is viewed as a landmark event in international climate negotiations. Taking place at the mouth of the Amazon River, the summit is expected to highlight the urgent need to protect rainforests, preserve biodiversity, and accelerate commitments to reduce global emissions. The presence of the Prince of Wales is anticipated to draw international attention not only to the UK’s role in climate discussions but also to the monarchy’s continued investment in the issue.
The Natural History Museum reception served as a symbolic prelude to this shift in responsibilities. Guests spoke of the significance of seeing both the King and Prince William together, underscoring a sense of unity in their approach to climate change. With the Earthshot Prize and COP30 set back-to-back in Brazil, the prince’s visit will represent one of the most concentrated periods of international climate engagement in his public life to date.
Prince William’s decision to attend COP30 on behalf of the King reflects not just a formal duty but also his personal commitment to the environment. The royal family’s continued presence at climate summits has been regarded as a way of using soft power to highlight the urgency of the crisis and support the work of governments, scientists and campaigners.
As the King once told delegates: “The Earth does not belong to us, we belong to the Earth.” That message, echoed now through the Prince of Wales’s Earthshot mission, will be carried forward into the discussions in Brazil, where the next chapter of royal climate diplomacy is set to unfold.
