Prince William is accustomed to meeting enthusiastic fans, but today in Brazil, the reception he received was particularly hands-on. The Prince of Wales was warmly welcomed by a crowd of eager admirers at Ilha de Paqueta, where some supporters couldn’t resist getting up close and personal.

As William navigated through the throngs of excited fans, he experienced touches from all directions—left, right, center, and even from behind. In a particularly memorable moment, one fan handed over her baby, 10-month-old Joaquim Monteiro, to the future king.

Currently on the second day of his visit to Brazil for the annual Earthshot Prize Awards, William graciously accepted the child, holding him as he engaged in a conversation with the baby’s mother.

This animated encounter follows a surprising turn of events from the day before, when the future King garnered attention as a newfound sex symbol. His barefoot volleyball game on the beach, paired with designer stubble, toned arms, and a remarkably fit physique, set new fitness goals for fathers in their 40s, challenging the notion of middle-age spread.

It comes after the future King enjoyed an unexpected sex symbol moment yesterday 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, 43, 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.

The Prince of Wales, pictured, left fans swooning as he showed off his sporty side in Brazil on Tuesday

Royal fans didn’t hold back when it came to touching William on the second day of his trip to Brazil

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 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. 

However, little is known about his current exercise habits; although the royal opened up about his diet in 2022.

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

Jumping to and fro during a game of volleyball, ‘sexy’ William, 43, attracted a flurry of social media attention after his stint at Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, alongside Olympic star Carolina Solberg

During a trip to Cornwall’s Newquay Orchard, he explained he has a healthy start to the day by eating two eggs and wholemeal toast with butter – adding that he enjoyed apple juice and a cup of tea with milk and sugar alongside it.

Admitting he was ‘trying to cut down on sugar’, William then revealed that he had had a ‘rubbish’ sandwich for lunch that day, while enjoying fish and mushrooms for dinner. 

He said he ‘doesn’t drink coffee’ so drinks ‘two or three cups of tea’ a day, as well as enjoying snacks like bananas and cholate biscuits or brownies. 

Meanwhile, the royal added he might have a glass of red wine each day.

On the fitness side, both the prince and his wife, Kate, are known for their love of sports, with William having a history with rowing, swimming and polo.

It is also understood he is a keen runner, in 2023 telling interviewers that he had enjoyed a morning jog in New York’s Central Park, while visiting for the Earthshot Prize Innovation Summit, HELLO reported. 

Before William’s volleyball endeavours on Monday, it had been hugs and high-fives all round as he celebrated scoring a penalty in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium.

The royal was joined by Brazil legend Cafu for the visit to one of football’s most iconic venues, where they met children learning about the environment and climate change through sport-based organisation Terra FC.

Dubbed ‘His Royal Hotness’, the heir left quite the impression as he demonstrated his athletic prowess ahead of a Wednesday presentation of the Earthshot Prize – the world’s most prestigious environmental awards 

William had clearly played before and scored several winning points, landing on his knees several times and launching himself into the air

Wearing navy trousers and a simple khaki button down, the King’s son was seen leaping throw the air and down in the sand as he enjoyed the seaside

When the future King first arrived pitch side he met a group of volunteers from the project using football to connect with young people, and asked them: ‘My team’s Aston Villa, have you heard of them? You don’t have to say yes.’

William is an avid fan of Premier League club Aston Villa and reacted with surprise when one of the group said they had.

There, the Prince – sporting trendy white £179 sustainable trainers by Portuguese company Mr Marvis – and former Brazil defender Cafu played against each other in a three-a-side match testing the skills of the schoolboys from across Rio.

Cafu led his side to a 3-2 victory over William and his teammates but the Prince quickly moved on to join a training session with a group of young girls holding cups of water as they dribbled, in a bid to improve their balance by not spilling the liquid.

William ended his football drills by taking a penalty against goalie Pedro Enrique, 14, as his teammates chanted his name.

When he scored he was mobbed by youngsters wanting a high-five.

The 14-year-old goalie said afterwards: ‘I was scared and nervous but very excited as he was the most famous person to take a penalty kick.

‘I didn’t let him score. It was a good penalty.’

The royal’s arrival in Rio on Monday kick-started three days of engagements leading up to the awards themselves on Wednesday night.

On Thursday, William will fly to Belem, gateway to the Amazon rainforest, to represent his father King Charles at the COP30 United Nations climate change conference for the first time.

There, he will give a ‘landmark’ speech alongside the Prime Minister, marking a significant step up for the future king as an international statesman.

It is his first official visit to Latin America and will see William visit some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, highlighting a cause he is deeply passionate about.

Although many engagements cannot be revealed in advance for security reasons, it can be revealed that he will view the world-famous Christ the Redeemer, the 125-foot Art Deco statue that towers over the area from Corcovado Mountain.

And he will also take in some of Rio’s iconic beaches, alongside engagements to understand the biodiversity of the city – and get his chance to show off his skills at the legendary Maracana football stadium.

In addition he will attend a United for Wildlife Global Summit and visit ‘Earthshot Boulevard’ a specially-created open-air experience and hub for public engagement in the city.

This year’s finalists were chosen out of nearly 2,500 nominees from 72 countries and include a Brazilian start-up restoring forests with the help of AI and British company Matter, which has developed a filter that can be fitted to washing machines to stop microplastics entering the oceans through laundry and waste water.

William is attending without his wife, the Princess of Wales, who remains at home in Windsor with their children who are returning to school after the half-term holiday.

Speaking as he departed from London, William said: ‘As I depart for Rio de Janeiro, I am excited for my first visit and to experience Brazil’s vibrant culture, its extraordinary biodiversity, and above all, the warmth of its people.

‘With the world’s eyes turning to Brazil this week, there is no better place to celebrate bold climate leadership. Hosting The Earthshot Prize allows us to not only recognise those driving change, but to be inspired by them. When we work together with optimism and courage, a more sustainable future is within our reach.’