Prince William picked up and cradled a young 10-month-old baby as he greeted crowds on the Brazilian island of Paqueta, located in Guanabara Bay.
Arriving in style via a small Brazilian naval speedboat, the Prince of Wales spoke with locals and met with representatives from the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, who manage the local mangrove biome.
William spoke to the crowd of around 350 people, stopped for selfies and picked up a 10-month-old baby boy named Joaquin Monteiro, who was with his grandmother, Cristina.
The prince asked the boy’s grandmother: “What’s his name?” and “How old is he?” as he engaged in conversation.
Prince William picked up the 10-month-old baby boy named Joaquin Monteiro
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William added: “Bless him,” before handing him back to Cristina.
When asked about the future king holding Joaqium, the baby’s cousin Andre Luis Junior, who is also a teacher, told People: “Nobody asked him – he just picked him up.
“It’s probably because he has three kids. He loves kids. It’s amazing. We are so happy, so happy he chose this very small island.
“We’re very unique in the heart of Rio [bay]. Very quiet. We love that he chose to come here. The kids in school were so excited today.”
William arrived via a small Brazilian naval speedboat
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One local woman married to a Briton got William to send a message to him.
Luciana Meireles said: “I called out, ‘Can you hi to my husband?’ And he said, ‘What’s your husband’s name?’ And I said, ‘Damian from Manchester’. And he said ‘Hi’ to him. His parents will love that as they are big fans.
“I never thought he would come here to this island.”
Despite being far from the UK, the Prince of Wales found time to chat about his favourite football team, Aston Villa, with Scottish-born youngster Lucas McGeogh.
One resident said: ‘I never thought he would come here to this island’
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The prince asked: “Do you know Aston Villa?” to which Lucas responded that his “Favourite team is Fluminense,” a Brazilian side.
The youngster replied: “It was good” to meet the prince, adding that he “was a bit nervous”.
Children were urged to stay home from school today, with the island having around 5,000 residents, declaring the visit as “The Day of the Prince”.
Many had created colourful drawings for William, calling him “Prince of the Island” and the visit “Prince Day”.
The island declared the visit as ‘The Day of the Prince’
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Young 12-year-old Marcel Gomes de Castro gave the prince two paintings, one of a naval boat in the small harbour and a seascape.
His father, Alan, said he had completed them two years ago, but Marcel insisted he wanted to give them to the prince as a gift.
Alan said: “It’s a welcome for William, he wanted to give a gift. Everyone here is very excited.”
Upon receiving the painting, William told Marcel: “That’s incredible, brilliant. That’s so kind of you, thank you very much.”