Moment Prince William refuses to be drawn on Andrew scandal and Harry and Meghan rift as he tells CNN: ‘I want to surround myself with people who want to do good’

Prince William has diplomatically refused to discuss the Royal Family’s current woes publicly but has spoken of his desire to surround himself with people who ‘want to do good’.

The Prince of Wales would not withdraw due to the controversy caused by his uncle Andrew and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. A ‘fireside’ chat with CNN during her Earthshot Award trip to Brazil.

Veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour asked the heir to the throne about his recent comments that he will seek “change for the good” when he becomes king.

Ms Amanpour noted William’s recent Apple TV interview with Eugene Levy and asked if he could expand on his comments ‘given that there has been so much change in your family lately’.

But William ignored Andrew’s decision to strip him of all his titles and his home, as well as the dispute with Harry and Meghan over Megxit.

Without hesitation, he decided to focus on Earthshot and praised the ‘wonderful people in this room’, calling them ‘action heroes’ and declaring: ‘Change will come not by what I do, but by supporting them’.

However, upon the applause of the audience, he added: ‘I want to surround myself with people who want to make a change and do good in the world.’

Royal watchers praised her decision to remain silent. ‘Unlike Harry, William doesn’t take the family laundry out in public,’ one said.

Prince of Wales says he wants to focus on changes made by others, not himself

During a ‘fireside chat’ with CNN’s Ms Amanpour, William, 43, talked about being positive for his own children and young people around the world, rather than his family.

William was speaking as he prepared for the Earthshot awards ceremony, where stars including Shawn Mendes and Kylie Minogue supported him.

During his ‘fireside chat’ with the event’s host, Ms Amanpour, William spoke about being positive for his own children and young people around the world.

He said: ‘You have to provide leadership and a vision that good things are coming and that they are not all negative.

‘And especially for my children, knowing that the planet will be in a better, healthier state because of the people in this room is something I like to tell them when they go to bed; ‘It’s going to be wonderful, your future will be as bright as the futures that have passed, and that’s a really important message that we all need to hear.’

He added: ‘A world without hope and positivity is a pretty depressing place.’

Hours later, stars took to the green carpet at Prince William’s glittering Earthshot Prize Awards on Wednesday night.

It comes as Prince Harry denied deliberately trying to outshine Prince William by announcing his own so-called royal visit to Canada while his older brother touched down in Brazil for his five-day Earthshot Award tour.

The royal siblings have a long-reported rift that shows no signs of abating, seen in 2018

Andrew’s loss of title prevented by William and the King

The conflict was described as ‘predictable’ by a royal expert but a spokesman for the Duke of Sussex shot down any suggestion that his announcement was about sibling rivalry.

In a statement, Harry’s team blamed the timing on “not having the same level of security and protection as other working members of the Royal Family.”

“This therefore means that the period in which we can release details of events is much shorter than it would be for His Majesty the King or the Prince of Wales,” his spokesman added.

The Prince of Wales touched down in Rio de Janeiro on Monday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his environmental prize, the Earthshot Prize.

But as William began his first assignment at Sugarloaf Mountain, his younger brother’s office in California announced a trip to Canada this week ahead of the Memorial Service on Sunday.

On Wednesday night, the Prince of Wales attended the Earthshot Award Impact Meeting at Pier 3, part of the three-day Earthshot summit in Rio, which saw awards handed out to groundbreaking environmental initiatives, a cause close to his heart.

The event brought together government officials, indigenous leaders, and youth advocates to share inspiring Earthshot stories from the past year and highlight investments that helped finalists grow their environmental solutions.

Global superstars Shawn Mendes and Kylie Minogue answered the heir to the throne’s call to headline the awards ceremony in vibrant Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Dazzling Kylie, 57, said she wore Stella McCartney’s ‘new outfit’ at the event.

Appearing live on Sky News, he also praised Prince William’s Earthshot award as ‘amazing people doing incredible things’.

In a passionate speech on Wednesday night, William said: ‘I understand some may be feeling discouraged in these uncertain times. I understand that there is still much to be done.

‘But this is not the time for complacency and the optimism I felt in 2020.’ [when he set up the awards]It continues to be hot today.

‘Because our finalists are a shining example of how we can build stronger economies, design healthier cities and create better jobs for the next generation.’

Gorgeous Kylie, 57, said she wore Stella McCartney’s ‘new outfit’ to the event

Global superstars Shawn Mendes and Kylie Minogue photographed with Prince William on the green carpet at The Earthshot Prize Awards 2025 in Rio de Janeiro

Kylie Minogue, Prince William and Shawn Mendes at the Earthshot Awards Ceremony on Wednesday

Sir Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband were photographed at the event. Summit brings together government officials, indigenous leaders and youth advocates

The Prince of Wales speaks to Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan at the fifth annual Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony

He continued: ‘We can support the dreamers and innovators who work tirelessly to build a more sustainable world. We can protect our beautiful planet for all life that calls it home.

‘The choices we make in this decade will define us… but more importantly, they will define the lives of young people. The future belongs to them.

‘They are the ones who will inherit the planet we fight to protect. They are the ones who will continue to carry our momentum forward.’

Re.green was awarded the Earthshot Award for Protecting and Restoring Nature for ‘leading a global movement combining cutting-edge technology, ecological science and social impact to restore Brazil’s lost Atlantic Forest’.

Shortly afterwards, Brazilian football legend Cafu announced that the High Seas Treaty, led by the High Seas Alliance, were the winners of the Earthshot Prize to Revitalize Our Oceans.

The Building a World Without Waste Award was presented to Lagos Fashion Week for its work on sustainable fashion, before receiving the Friendship Fix Our Climate award.

Moreover, the city of Bogota was awarded the Earthshot Award for Cleaning Our Air after the Colombian city reduced air pollution by 24 percent.

William, 43, arrived at the Museum of Tomorrow in a black tie suit by Tom Ford.

Fittingly, given the environmental theme of the awards, this was also a redress.

On arrival he was greeted by the awards host Luciano Huck, who invited him to see the local samba dancers and carnival performers.

She then walked the green carpet and met the musical artists who performed at the Awards, including Anitta and Seu Jorge, as well as Mendes and Minogue.

Taking a photo on the green carpet, Mendes thanked Prince William for the birthday cake he prepared for his British mother Karen, whose birthday was on Sunday, when they met earlier in the day. He was obviously ‘overjoyed’.

He was also introduced to British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, British Ambassador Stephanie Al-Qaq and Brazilian Environment Minister Marina Silva.

In keeping with tradition, William was offered the flag of the Samba School Beja-Flor by the artist Selminha Sorriso and he kissed it, then clasped his hands as a gesture of thanks for the warm welcome.

He was accompanied by Earthshot CEO Jason Knauf and awards presenter Luciano Huck, and stopped to chat with a group of 100 invited local youth.

William and UK Prime Minister attend the fifth annual Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony

The Prince of Wales shook hands with superstar Shawn Mendes at the ceremony

Jacinda Ardern and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer laugh as they attend the Earthshot Awards Ceremony

Prince William looks happy as he attends the ceremony on Wednesday

Among them was 13-year-old Giovanna Castro, who came to see William with her father Henrique from Iguaba Grande, 130 km away, and brought a drawing of him and Kate on their wedding day.

The prince stopped to chat with her and her father for a few minutes and seemed impressed by her gift.

Ahead of his arrival, he said: ‘I really love the royal family, I really appreciate them. It’s a very rare opportunity to meet the prince.’

After walking the green carpet, William headed upstairs to meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, British Ambassador to Brazil Stephanie Al-Qaq and Brazilian environment minister Marina Silva.

The Prince then took his place at the ceremony, which opened to more music and dancing by Beja Flor and a performance by Anitta, who sang the classic Brazilian hit Mas Que Nada, followed by a duet with Gilberto Gil with a version of Girl from Ipanema.

While Shawn Mendes performed the song Youth, Seu Jorge played the David Bowie classic Heroes.

Kylie then closed the show with a high-energy mix of her hits Padam, Can’t get you out from My Head and a cover of Kool and the Gang’s Celebration, while William was later seen singing along.

After the ceremony, she thanked Kylie, Gilberto Gil and Seu Jorge for their performance.

“Honestly, thank you so much, everything was amazing,” the Prince told Kylie, commenting that “everyone was up and dancing.”

The singer congratulated the ceremony, saying he watched it from his dressing room and praising the ‘energy of the crowd’.

William later suggested that Kylie might perform at another Earthshot Award ceremony in the future.

‘It’s a deal,’ he told her.