Prince William’s ‘Unstoppable’ Momentum and ‘Moral Compass’ Guiding Next Chapter (Exclusive)

From the Earthshot Prize to an emotional Remembrance Sunday, Prince William’s busy week between Brazil and London told the same story in two acts: a future king protecting the future and honoring the past. 

“He’s leaving Rio with a renewed sense of optimism about what Earthshot can deliver. We’re seeing the impact Earthshot finalists are delivering. The momentum is really feeling unstoppable,” a palace source tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.

The Prince of Wales, 43, took his Earthshot mission to the world stage in Rio de Janeiro last week on Nov. 5 and left more enthused than ever.

After flying to Brazil for the Earthshot Prize — the global environmental award he launched in 2020 to spotlight solutions to the planet’s biggest challenges — William spent his days with innovators, world leaders and young activists, championing action over ceremony and hope over hierarchy.

“He’s a very credible voice,” the U.K.’s ambassador to Brazil, Stephanie Al-Qaq, tells PEOPLE. “He’s more than ready to step into that space.” 

Adds Jacinda Ardern, the former New Zealand prime minister and an Earthshot trustee: “He’s pretty consistent. It’s been, ‘How do we do more? How do we scale? How do we better support the finalists?’ ” 

The heir to the throne also shown a steadiness that has defined him through a turbulent season for the royal family.

On Oct. 30, Buckingham Palace announced that William’s uncle, now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, would be stripped of his princely title and banished from his longtime Windsor home, Royal Lodge, amid renewed scrutiny over his ties to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The decision underscores how the future of the monarchy increasingly centers on William and the next generation.

“William has a strong personal core,” as does his wife, Kate Middleton, says a close source. Together, the insider adds, they embody values “such as constancy, consistency, steadiness and a safe place for the country to reach out to.”

As he represented his father, ​​King Charles, at the COP30 climate meeting on Nov. 6, William also focused on preserving the monarchy’s future. In the weeks prior, the family had confronted the fallout from his uncle’s royal scandal. While William fully supported his father’s decision, there are those who believe he urged closure sooner — and more strongly. 

“There was pressure from William, who would not want to inherit the headache,” says a source close to the royal household. 

Adds a palace insider: “He would want it dealt with as quickly as possible.”

That same drive was in full force across the Atlantic. In Rio, William’s environmental purpose took on an unmistakable intensity. From the Sugarloaf summit to Copacabana Beach, the Prince of Wales carried himself less as a royal guest and more as a global advocate. 

“He’s a door-opener,” says Runa Khan, founder of Friendship, a nonprofit aiding climate-affected communities in Bangladesh, and an Earthshot winner.

On Nov. 6, he brought that energy to Belém for the world leaders’ COP30 summit. Stepping off the plane alongside U.K. prime minister Keir Starmer — who had also attended the Earthshot Prize the night before — he looked at home among politicians and heads of state. 

Following in his father’s footsteps on climate advocacy, William delivered his speech in his own empathetic style, reminiscent of his late mother, Princess Diana, who made her own memorable visit to the country in 1991. 

En route to his final meeting with Indigenous leaders, he paused the convoy to take selfies and shake hands with crowds chanting “William, William.”

The royal remained engaged even as his estranged brother Prince Harry unexpectedly announced a trip to Canada for his own series of Remembrance events — catching palace aides by surprise, despite Harry’s team saying it had informed them. 

Amid family turbulence, William departed Brazil energized by the progress of his Earthshot Prize. As of March 2025, Earthshot Prize finalists have saved, reused or recycled 2.4 billion gallons of water and cut 10 billion lbs. of CO2.

He stayed in the spotlight after returning to the U.K. to commemorate Remembrance Sunday, the most solemn day on the royal calendar. 

Reflecting in silence at the Cenotaph war memorial in London on Nov. 9, William showed the steady resolve of a man whose “moral compass,” says a friend, is set at “due north.”

Above him, Princess Kate watched in quiet composure from the Foreign Office balcony. The moment, steeped in tradition, marked a remembrance of those lost in wars both long past and recent and a reflection on renewal within the royal family.

The couple, along with their children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, had just moved into their new forever home, Forest Lodge in Windsor, beginning a fresh chapter after the challenges of the past few years, including Kate’s cancer diagnosis. (The Princess of Wales, 43, announced that she was undergoing treatment for cancer in March 2024 and said in January that she is in remission.) 

Elsewhere during the Remembrance weekend, Kate attended the Festival of Remembrance with George, marking his surprise debut at the poignant annual event on Nov. 8 and underscoring the generational shift already underway. While William was returning from Brazil, his son was taking his own early step into royal duty at home.

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A palace insider says William and Kate are taking a “slow game” approach, introducing their son to royal duties on their terms.