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On his first visit to Brazil, travelling across the iconic landmarks of Rio de Janeiro and over the breathtaking views of the Amazon, Prince William has delivered one message: optimism. Looking to the future is central to the Prince of Wales’s mission for the environment, both in celebrating his Earthshot Prize awards and presenting a landmark speech at the COP climate conference in Belem , but it is also clear that William is realising his role as a future leader. The lead up to the prince's trip to South America could not have been less positive. Against a backdrop of the scandal involving the relationship between his uncle Andrew and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, William has had to remain resolute that positive change will come. The tawdry and protracted episode has for too long been a cloud over the institution and deflected from the work that all senior members of the family are trying to do, from the environment, homelessness or changing the prospects of the next generation. It is no surprise that William has taken a hard line over how Andrew has behaved, nor indeed how he was consulted by his father, the King, but suggestion that he was the one who insisted on and delivered the final blow to stripping the former Duke of York of his titles and honours has been massively overblown. Instead, as I have observed this week in Brazil, William is moving in a more subtle and considered way, quietly laying the foundations for his future and that of his family. Inviting Prime Minister Keir Starmer and environment secretary Ed Miliband to Earthshot, and travelling with them to the heart of the Amazon for the COP conference is an interesting development in the typically apolitical stance of the royal family. William is astute enough to recognise that while he can not apply direct pressure on any government to join his environmental crusade, he can at least present a case by his actions. Again, while it has been presented that William has in recent times suddenly taken on the role of a global statesman, this is surely the job he has always been prepared to do. During a fireside chat ahead of the Earthshot awards on Thursday, William demonstrated his calmness under pressure when the CNN anchor Christiane Amanpour targeted him with a question on changes to the monarchy, with a reference to “a lot of change in your own family". Where many would have perhaps faltered at such a suggestion, William replied with a reference to his environmental mission. “I think the Earthshot Prize is a classic example of change, rather than talking about it, we’re doing it. “You have to provide a leadership and a vision that there’s good things to come and it’s not all negative.” We are witnessing the evolution of not just William’s role but the role of the monarchy in the modern world. Andrew’s final disgrace came when Buckingham Palace finally realised the level of feeling over Andrew’s behaviour, finally printing them to act. Both the Prince and Princess of Wales believe in the work of the institution, but also that change is necessary to make it more relatable and considered in order to survive in the modern world. As the Prince said this week: “A world without hope and a world without positivity is a pretty depressing place.” After the success of William’s Brazil visit and the message he has delivered, there is hope the monarchy will finally be able to move forward with purpose after drawing a line under a scandal which has dominated it for too long.
