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Prince William has quietly hit back at a claim once made by Meghan Markle during a sweet and candid moment on his first day in Brazil. The Prince of Wales had a jam-packed schedule for the first day of his four-day trip to the Latin American country, with one engagement bringing him to the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, where he took part in some football drills and spent time talking to local children who are part of Terra FC. This is a campaign that aims to encourage the engagement of clubs, fans, and governments in the fight against climate change. After kicking around a football with the kids and telling them of his team Aston Villa , William was snapped high-fiving and hugging many of the excitable children. William’s candid and sweet actions with the kids appears to have disproved a claim once made by Meghan Markle in the explosive 2022 Netflix docuseries Harry and Meghan, in which the Duchess of Sussex recalled the first time she met her brother-in-law. Meghan claimed that both William and Kate seemed to find hugging “jarring”, as she said in the docuseries: “When Will and Kate came over and I was meeting her for the first time I remember I was in ripped jeans, I was barefoot. “Like I was a hugger, I have always been a hugger. I didn’t realise that is really jarring for a lot of Brits. I started to understand that the formality on the outside carried through on the inside.” Prince Harry also wrote of William’s alleged awkwardness around hugs, as he wrote in his memoir Spare that he “recoiled” when Meghan tried to hug him, claiming that the prince wouldn’t normally hug somebody he didn’t know. However, William’s actions in Brazil seem to prove otherwise, with royal fans all pointing how the rumour has now been debunked as they shared numerous photos of the future King embracing the youngsters. One fan wrote on X: “The Royals do NOT find ‘hugs jarring’ from genuinely lovely people. Prince William in Rio,” while another said: “Look, not ‘jarring’ at all.” Another fan added: “Prince William is truly so caring and kind, especially when it comes to children. The way he takes time to hug each one and make them feel special is just heart-melting.” William is in Brazil for a four-day trip to Latin America for the annual Earthshot Prize awards, taking place on Wednesday. As the Prince of Wales departed London bound for Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, as he said in a statement: “As I depart for Rio de Janeiro, I am excited for my first visit and to experience Brazil’s vibrant culture, its extraordinary biodiversity, and above all, the warmth of its people." “With the world ’s eyes turning to Brazil this week, there is no better place to celebrate bold climate leadership. Hosting The Earthshot Prize allows us to not only recognise those driving change, but to be inspired by them. When we work together with optimism and courage, a more sustainable future is within our reach.” The Earthshot Prize culminates with a glittering awards ceremony on Wednesday at Rio's futuristic Museum of Tomorrow, where five winners will each receive £1million to scale up their planet saving ideas. Earthshot is one of William’s signature ideas which this week celebrated the halfway point of a decade-long project in different countries around the world .
