William follows in mother Diana's footsteps with Rio statue photo

The Prince of Wales has followed in his mother's footsteps with a visit to the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

Prince William stood in the same spot that Diana, Princess of Wales, was photographed in 34 years ago.

He is on the third day of his five-day visit to Brazil, where he will be presenting the Earthshot Prize, the annual award from the charity he set up.

The star-studded event will be held in Rio's Museum of Tomorrow on Wednesday evening, where Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes will perform as five projects win £1m.

Princess Diana pictured in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue in 1991

The prince is also scheduled to give a speech at COP30, the UN's annual climate meeting.

On a picture perfect day, the future king stood alone in a moment of reflection as he took in the views of Rio de Janeiro from the top of Mount Corcovado where Christ the Redeemer stands.

The iconic and imposing statue is one of the largest Art Deco sculptures in the world, standing at 30 metres tall and reaching 28 metres wide with its outstretched arms.

It has become a symbol of hope and resilience and is said to protect the people of Rio.

Princess Diana posed in the same spot in April 1991 during her six-day tour of Brazil with the now King Charles III.

During Prince William's walkabouts in Rio, dozens of people spoke to him about his late mother, who died in August 1997.

"The prince has loved meeting so many people from across Rio over the last few days," said a spokesperson for the prince.

"He's been incredibly struck by the number of people who fondly remember his mother's visit to this beautiful city."

At Christ the Redeemer, Prince William also had some time away from the cameras in the chapel that sits beneath the statue.

Security has been high throughout his trip.

Public access to the statue was temporarily suspended to allow him to visit the site and meet the 15 Earthshot Prize finalists ahead of the evening's awards ceremony.

The Prince of Wales spoke to the Earthshot Prize finalists before Wednesday evening's ceremony

The shortlist this year includes the city of Guangzhou in China and its electric public transport network, Lagos Fashion Week in Nigeria, nominated for its work reshaping the fashion industry, and Barbados for its environmental leadership.

The prize annually awards a £1m grant in five different categories to projects that aim to repair the world's climate.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will join the prince for the ceremony before they both head to Belem in the Amazon rainforest for COP30, where world leaders will discuss how to limit and pepare for further climate change.

Prince William's first day in Brazil involved football in the Maracana Stadium and barefoot beach volleyball on Copacabana.

On Tuesday, focus shifted to the environment - his reason for visiting the country.

The prince criticised criminals for their involvment in the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest during a speech at the United for Wildlife conference.

He also travelled to the small island of Paqueta, where he met locals, learnt about mangrove conservation and planted tree saplings.