Prince William mingles with Brazilians after straightening Andrew up

Prince William said he was honoured to receive the keys to Rio de Janeiro as the Prince of Wales arrived in Brazil for an official visit on Monday.

The official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales shared multiple photos of the ceremony where the future king was handed over the keys.

"Honoured to receive the keys to the city at the iconic Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro ahead of an exciting few days for The Earthshot Prize and United for Wildlife," said William.

The Prince of Wales also thanked Mayor Eduardo Paes for the warm welcome he was accorded.

The British royal posed for selfies with citizens who had gathered to welcome him on the occasion. 

The heir to throne arrived in Brazil without his wife Kate Middleton by his side.

The Princess of Wales has rarely accompanied her husband to foreign trips since she was diagnosed with cancer.

Kate Middleton said last year that she had completed her chemotherapy and was in remission from cancer.

The wife of Prince William is making a gradual return to royal duties as her treatment continues.

Prince William arrived in Brazil for the awards ceremony for his multi-million-dollar environmental Earthshot Prize, hoping to refocus attention away from the scandal of his uncle Andrew and back on the royals' causes.

The visit comes days after King Charles stripped his younger brother of his title of prince and evicted him from his mansion, banishing his sibling from public life to try to prevent any further damage to the royal brand from Andrew's ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.