Prince William follows in Princess Diana’s footsteps with iconic Rio de Janeiro photo moment

Prince William follows in Princess Diana’s footsteps with iconic Rio de Janeiro photo moment

Prince William has followed in the footsteps of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, by visiting Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Christ the Redeemer statue. The future king posed for a photograph against the backdrop of the city’s skyline, just as Diana did in April 1991 during a tour of Brazil with Prince Charles. A Kensington Palace spokesperson, speaking to the travelling media pack, said: “The Prince has loved meeting so many people from across Rio over the last few days. He’s been incredibly struck by the number of people who fondly remember his mother’s visit to this beautiful city

During a six-day visit to Brazil in 1991, the Prince and Princess visited the capital Brasilia and São Paulo. Diana was a huge hit with locals in Rio de Janeiro, visiting both Copacabana beach, where her eldest son played volleyball this week. She also posed for photographs at Christ the Redeemer, the 30-metre statue which overlooks Rio from the top of the 700 metre-high Corcovado Mountain.

During their trip, the royal couple also visited Belem, where the-then Prince Charles hosted an environmental seminar on board the Royal Yacht, which anchored near the Amazonian city. On Thursday, their son Prince William will make a landmark speech to world leaders gathered in Belem for the Cop30 summit.

William was at Christ the Redeemer to meet the 2025 Earthshot Prize Finalists with Rio mayor Eduardo Paes. He was met beneath the statue by Cardinal Orani João Tempesta, Metropolitan Archbishop of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro and Padre Omar Raposo, Guardian of The Sanctuary, Christ the Redeemer. Padre Omar then took him to visit the Chapel underneath Christ the Redeemer.