As his whirlwind visit to Brazil draws to a close, the Prince of Wales departs with a host of new admirers back home in the UK.

Arriving in Rio de Janeiro on Monday for the annual Earthshot Prize Awards, 43-year-old Prince William wasted no time in showcasing his undeniable charisma.

He jumped right into a game of volleyball on the iconic sands of Copacabana beach, graciously posed for selfies with enthusiastic fans, and even demonstrated his down-to-earth side by using a public restroom.

William’s efforts to win hearts continued with a special surprise for Shawn Mendes’ mother, who hails from Dorset, as he presented her with a birthday cake. He also returned a Tupperware set to charity leader Rhian Mannings, an item he had inadvertently taken from her home the month before.

Amidst the ongoing controversy surrounding his uncle Andrew’s connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, from whom Andrew claimed he never severed ties, William’s actions seem to be part of a broader strategy to bolster the royal family’s image.

In a dramatic turn last month, Buckingham Palace announced that Andrew would no longer carry the title of prince and would be vacating his residence at the Royal Lodge.

William’s work this week will undoubtedly serve as a positive for palace officials – and given the trip’s success, it’s safe to say he’ll likely be getting a job well done upon his return.

The father-of-three got off to a great start in Brazil when he enjoyed an unexpected sex symbol moment on Tuesday as he played volleyball barefoot on the beach.

With his designer stubble, toned arms, and ultra-trim physique, the heir to the throne set new standards for 40-something fathers who might be feeling a little self-conscious about the onset of mid-life spread.

William attracted a flurry of social media attention after his stint at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, alongside Olympic star Carolina Solberg.

Dubbed ‘His Royal Hotness’, the heir made quite the impression as he demonstrated his athletic prowess ahead of his Earthshot Prize environmental awards.

Wearing navy trousers and a simple khaki button-down, the King’s son showed off his toned arms as he leapt around after the ball.

Many took to X to speak about the dashing display, saying the heir to the throne was ‘mighty fine’. Elsewhere, others hailed his wife Kate as a ‘lucky’ woman.

Later, the prince continued his show of charming behaviours when he greeted crowds of adoring fans, who screamed excitedly as he approached.

‘I’m sweaty after some volleyball,’ he confessed, posing for photos with delighted royal fans who cheered on his arrival in the South American country.

Solberg, who runs a local beach volleyball school for disadvantaged children, the Levante Institute, praised William’s skills, saying he had ‘a lot of energy’.

‘He’s tall. He can hit. I think he could be really good if he practised more,’ she added. ‘I think he was having fun and was amazing to play with him. It was such a pleasure.’

It’s perhaps no wonder William caused quite the social media sensation, as the prince – who in his youth endured the RAF’s grueling fitness routine – appears to be in great shape.

One day later, he was met by a very passionate reception by Brazilian fans – and it was far more handsy than usual.

The Prince of Wales greeted the hordes of enthusiastic fans that lined up to meet him at Ilha de Paqueta, and some supporters didn’t hold back from getting up close and personal.

William was touched left, right, centre – and even from behind – as he worked his way through the excited crowd, with one also rushing to hand over her baby, 10-month-old Joaquim Monteiro, to the future king.

William, who was on day two of his trip to Brazil, gladly accepted the young child in his arms and stood holding him as he chatted away with his mother.

The positive reception continued when William proved he’s not too posh to use a public toilet, leading observers to praise his down-to-earth nature.

Between cuddling babies and playing volleyball, William had no qualms whatsoever about using a public toilet on Copacabana beach. 

A video shared on social media showed William visiting the facilities in Paquetá , trailed by his bodyguard.

After he left the men’s toilets, he waved to excited onlookers and stopped to shake a young boy’s hand, before asking him which football team he supported.

Royal fans were impressed by how ‘humble’ the Prince was, with many comparing him to his mother, Princess Diana, who visited Rio de Janeiro in 1991 with the now King Charles.

One commenter said on TikTok: ‘Just because he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth doesn’t mean he has to be spoiled; he takes after his humble mother.’

‘He is a brilliant human being, just like his mother was,’ another person wrote.

A third added: ‘He’s just like his mother, no airs at all.’

Another TikTok user declared: ‘That man is humble and down-to-earth! He’s not pretentious at all!’

William paid tribute to his late mother during his trip when he visited the Christ the Redeemer statue and posed in front of it for a photograph that bore a striking resemblance to one taken of Diana during her visit.

A Kensington Palace spokesperson emphasised in a statement how special the visit was to William.

‘The Prince has loved meeting so many people from across Rio over the last few days,’ the statement read.

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

And while he’s been busy in Brazil, William remembered to send Shawn Mendes’ mother, who is originally from Dorset, a birthday cake.

William heard it was his Karen Mendes’ birthday on Sunday, and sent her a surprise cake to mark the occasion, People reported.

Shawn, who attended the Earthshot Prize Awards, thanked William at the event, telling him that his mother is ‘still shaking.

It comes after Prince William also delighted fans when returning a Tupperware container belonging to charity founder Rhian Mannings, which he accidentally took from her house last month.

Mrs Mannings, who is the founder of bereavement charity 2wish Cymru, took to social media to share the empty container, which was pictured resting on an envelope marked with Buckingham Palace and the Royal Household insignia.  

The future King was treated to a box of homemade Welsh cakes when he met with Mrs Mannings in the run-up to World Mental Health Day on 10 October.

When the two departed, the Prince accidentally took off with Mrs Manning’s plastic food container.

Sharing the sweet gesture on X, she wrote: ‘News Alert! The Tupperware has been returned from HRH Prince William. @2wishcymru @2wishcharity.’

The post amassed dozens of heartfelt comments from royal fans who praised the ‘sweet’ gesture, with suggestions that the royal envelope stamp meant the box had been sent directly from the Prince’s office.

One royal fan remarked: ‘Can he be any sweeter? Were those the brownies? He loves!’

Another pointed out that it was often a ‘family joke’ that people forget to return Tupperware to their rightful owner. ‘The tub you give rarely gets returned straight away. It inevitably turns up again, having been to many homes in between,’ they wrote.

‘That Tupperware will have pride of place on the mantlepiece – forever,’ a third commented.

‘The Prince of Wales is so thoughtful,’ one gushed while a fourth joked about not opening the tub to preserve ‘palace air’.

‘It’s small gestures, that’s pure class,’ said another.

Prince William returned the box following an emotional visit with Mrs Mannings last month. 

It was a poignant day for the Prince, who broke down in tears while talking to Mrs Mannings after she opened up about the death of her late husband, who died by suicide.

She told him how she desperately wished her late husband, Paul, had spoken to her about how he was feeling. ‘I think that’s what the hardest thing is… we would have been ok,’ she said.

The emotional video had been shot during early October in Mrs Manning’s home in Cardiff.

George was her and husband Paul’s third child, a smiley, giggling baby who was crawling everywhere and had just learnt to say ‘hiya’ when he celebrated his first birthday in February 2012.

A week later, he suffered a seizure but tragically died just two hours after being rushed to the hospital. He was later found to be suffering from pneumonia and influenza A, which can be symptomless.

While Rhian and Paul initially comforted each other, he soon began to blame himself terribly, saying he had let his family down.

Five days later, he went out for a drive – and never returned.

The years since have been painful, although Mrs Mannings has been awarded an MBE for her work setting up the charity 2 Wish Upon A Star, which has helped more than 3,000 people in Wales affected by the sudden death of a child or young person.

Mrs Mannings’s mother also came in at one point, and William thanked her for some Welsh cakes – and promised he would take them home with him to eat in the car.

The family, including Mrs Mannings’s other children, Holly, 17, and Isaac, 16, laughed together as they realised that the future king had gone off with their grandmother’s Tupperware box.

The touching film of their conversation has been released to mark the launch of The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s National Suicide Prevention Network, backed by more than 20 organisations and funding of more than £1million from the couple.

Over the next three years, they hope to tackle the root causes of suicide and create a single, universal pathway for suicide prevention that is evidence-based, effective, and accessible to all.