The heir to the British throne prince william avoided commenting on the scandals plaguing the monarchy – from the now deposed prince andrew to the lingering rift with Harry and Meghan – during a conversation with CNN on his Earthshot Prize trip to Brazil.
“I want to be surrounded by people who want to do good,” was Prince William’s response to the CNN reporter, in the wake of Prince Andrew’s demobilization.
William, Britain’s future king, expressed optimism about tackling global environmental challenges at a star-studded event in Rio de Janeiro at the fifth annual EarthShot Awards he has established.
William’s first visit to Latin America comes just before Brazil hosts the UN climate conference, COP30, next week in Belem.
Veteran journalist Christiane Amanpour asked him about his recent statements that he intends to pursue “change for the better” when he will become king. Amanpour referred to William’s Apple TV interview with Eugene Levy and asked to clarify his words, “since there have been many changes in your family recently.”
William, however, avoided making an indirect reference to the decision to strip Andrew of all his titles and official residence, as well as the rift with Harry and Meghan following Megxit.
Without hesitation, he chose to turn the conversation to Earthshot, praising “the wonderful people in this room,” whom he called “action heroes,” declaring, “Change will come from supporting these people, not from what I do.”
However, to applause from the audience, he added: “I want to be surrounded by people who want to bring change and do good in the world.”
Royal experts welcomed his decision to remain silent. “Unlike Harry, William doesn’t take family matters public,” one of them commented.
During the conversation with CNN, the prince also spoke about the need to maintain optimism for his own children and for young people around the world.
“You have to provide leadership and a vision that shows that better things are coming and that it’s not all negative,” he said.
“And for my kids, especially, knowing that the planet is going to be in a better, healthier state because of the people in here, that’s something I tell them when they go to bed — that their future is going to be bright, just like the past, and that’s a really important message.”
He added: “A world without hope and without positive thinking is a pretty depressing place.”