Prince William makes one fan’s day with royal handshake moment

Casinopakisra

Prince William’s Brazilian charm offensive is off to a flying start and one lucky fan’s day just got royally made.

Despite a jam packed schedule in Rio, the Prince of Wales paused atop Sugarloaf Mountain to greet well wishers, flashing his trademark smile and shaking hands with fans eager for a royal moment.  Advertisement

After arriving on a commercial flight, William swapped jet lag for jaw dropping views as he rode the cable car to the summit, where Rio’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, greeted him with the symbolic keys to the city.  

The mayor later gushed that William was “amazed by the beauty of the city.”

He even joked, “So he’s got the keys, he can do whatever he wants in the next 72 hours. The city belongs to Prince William. I’m still the king, but it will belong to him!”


The pair chatted about everything from Rio’s stunning landscape to its tougher realities, including the city’s recent controversial police raids in the favelas. “He seemed very interested in lots of things,” the mayor revealed.  

“We spoke about politics, the security situation of course, it’s a complex topic, but it was a good opportunity to explain.”

Paes also praised the significance of hosting Earthshot in Rio, calling it “a city completely connected with environmental issues.”

As he made his way back down the mountain, his descent turned into a royal meet and greet. Tourists swarmed for selfies and handshakes, thrilled by the surprise encounter.  

Among them were British couple Jenny and Paul Galliver from near Oxford. “We were pretty shocked!” Jenny laughed. “It was a lovely surprise to see him, we’re very much pro-royal.”

Also in the crowd was Thomas Hunter from Manchester, who shared a quick word with the Prince. “I told him I work in offshore wind farms,” he said proudly. “He’s doing a great job with Earthshot.”


If day one is any indication, Rio is already under William’s spell and Earthshot week has only just begun.

Prince William won’t be returning from Brazil empty handed and his kids are in for a royal treat.  

During his visit to Rio’s Maracanã Stadium, the Prince of Wales was presented with thoughtful gifts for Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

The trio will soon be twinning in personalized Fluminense football shirts, each emblazoned with their names.Louis’ shirt featured a little twist, it read “Loui.”