The Prince of Wales has made his first appearance on The Graham Norton Show – to the surprise and joy to fans.
As TV host Graham was chatting with his celebrity guests Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham in a pre-recorded episode on Thursday night, William walked out onto the stage.
William, who set up The Earthshot Prize in 2020, was met with joyful cheers and gasps from the audience as he became the first royal to sit on Graham’s famous sofa.
While largely focusing on the work of The Earthshot Prize, the royal spoke about his support for beloved Aston Villa and his love for Christopher Nolan‘s films.
He also revealed his family’s obsession with Celebrity Traitors – with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis particular fans – as well as once considering a job in the police if he were not heir to the throne.
The show, which also featured a performance from singer Jorja Smith, will be aired on BBC One at 10.40pm on Friday.
Before William’s reveal, Graham had been speaking with Blanchett, Earthshot Prize Council Member, Irwin, Earthshot Prize Global Ambassador and Waddingham, who hosted the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore, about their work.
Graham then revealed that the connection between all three celebrities is The Earthshot Prize, to which he segued into William’s arrival.
The Prince of Wales has made a surprise appearance on a special Earthshot Prize edition of The Graham Norton Show
William was seen laughing with host Graham Norton as he reached for the handle to tip the ‘Red Chair’
As TV host Graham was chatting with his celebrity guests Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham in a pre–recorded episode tonight, William revealed himself as a surprise guest
The show, which also featured a performance from singer Jorja Smith, will be aired tomorrow on BBC One at 10.40pm
The heir is the first royal to appear on The Graham Norton Show.
But, he is not the only member of the Firm to have appeared on a chat show, with Princess Anne appearing on Wogan in 1985 and the late Prince Philip in 1986.
The Prince and Princess of Wales’s official Instagram teased the surprise with a picture of William on the famous sofa in a blue suit posted to their story.
William’s attendance on the show comes only days after his estranged brother, Harry, appeared in the media with an interview with GQ.
In the revealing 42-minute conversation, Harry said that reconciliation with family was ‘the most important thing’ to him but in an apparent swipe at his estranged brother, he declared that ‘some people don’t want it to work out’.
There were accusations that the release of the video overshadowed an important day for the Royal Family as they welcomed the Sultan of Oman to Windsor.
There is no immediate indication from early press materials that William referred to the comments in tomorrow’s episode.
Instead, William took to Graham’s sofa and spoke about BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors, saying: ‘I love it, the family love it. Charlotte and Louis are obsessed with it. It’s really good telly.’
He humorously added: ‘I saw Ross Kemp the day after the first episode and I couldn’t help but try – in the most appropriate way – to touch him to see what reaction I got from him. Turns out he was really jumpy!’
The picture shared to the Prince and Princess of Wales’s official Instagram
While largely focusing on the work of The Earthshot Prize, the royal spoke about his support for beloved Aston Villa and his love for Christopher Nolan’s films
Cate Blanchett during filming for the Graham Norton Show called The Earthshot Prize a ‘tapestry of solutions’
Hannah Waddingham highlighted the support offered to all Finalists and Earthshot’s ability to connect innovators with the expertise, networks and investment needed to grow their impact
William spoke about what he would be if he were not set to be king, and said that he would have been a police officer or a DJ.
He said: ‘I did want to be a policeman when I was younger, I thought I could make a good one. And then I went through a phase of wanting to be a DJ – I wasn’t very good.’
When it came to switching off, he revealed that he uses ‘music and film’ to wind down: ‘I love getting immersed in deep–thinking films. I like action films too, but I like something a bit different.
‘I’m a big fan of everything Christopher Nolan does. His films are are fantastic – The Dark Knight series is psychologically dark and deep and I absolutely love that.
‘He takes concepts that are completely out there and makes them incredibly entertaining.’
By the end of the episode, he helped Graham judge who should be tipped off the famous Big Red Chair – a comical section of the show where brave guests tell their funniest stories.
But much of William’s conversation focused on the origins of the Prize as well as pairing a need for urgency and optimism when it comes to tackling climate change.
When asked about how The Earthshot Prize came about, he said: ‘For many years I was hearing stories about environment issues and one thing that struck me was the negativity and doom which got me down.
‘I thought we could do something more powerful and more optimistic and the idea of an awards’ ceremony came about and we could talk about urgency and optimism together. It’s all about getting excited.
Robert Irwin spoke about Earthshot’s role in inspiring young people and building a new generation of environmental advocates
Jorja Smith took to the stage to perform on The Graham Norton Show
‘There are some amazing people out there doing things to protect the world. We could really highlight what is being done and scale them to the next level to have more impact around the world.’
He also highlighted the Prize’s role in identifying and supporting innovators around the world and helping them scale solutions for greater impact.
The Prince emphasised that climate change can not be tackled by a single person or initiative and explained why Earthshot can bring together a global coalition of innovators, investors and advocates.
Blanchett called The Earthshot Prize a ‘tapestry of solutions’ while Waddingham commended the support given to Finalists as well as the Prize’s ability to connect innovators with the expertise, networks and investment needed to grow their impact.
Irwin spoke about Earthshot’s role in inspiring young people and building a new generation of environmental advocates.
When Princess Anne appeared on the late Sir Terry Wogan’s show, she joked about working ‘even harder on the farm’ at her private country estate and working farm Gatcombe Park in response to a hypothetical about the monarchy ending.
She also revealed that she and her husband held Heavy Goods Vehicle licences, and spoke about her life as a farmer’s wife, her role in the British Olympic Association and her decision to choose royal duties over university.
When Prince Philip went on the show a year later he spoke about his hobby of carriage-driving and why more people did not play polo, as well as Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s then-upcoming wedding.
Last week, William kicked off the countdown to the Prize in Mumbai on November 17 by playing cricket in The Mall with some of Britain’s and India’s cricketing legends.
William was joined by homegrown test captain Joe Root, India’s former national team captains Ajinkya Rahane and Sourav Ganguly, and West Indies hero Brian Lara.
William is not the only royal to have appeared on a chat show, with Princess Anne appearing on Wogan in 1985
Her father the late Prince Philip went on the same show a year later
Sir Terry Wogan hosted his show from 1982 to 1992
Last week, William kicked off the countdown to the Prize in Mumbai on November 17 by playing cricket in The Mall with some of India’s cricketing legends
Their verdict? William was a ‘pretty good batter’ whose ‘bowling needs a bit of work’.
And the scenery? ‘There are some wonderful backdrops in cricket, but none quite like Buckingham Palace,’ said Root.
England women’s captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, England white-ball captain Harry Brook and radio host Greg James also joined in the fun at the ‘Cricket on The Mall’.
The Earthshot event in November will bring together more than 5,000 participants and will be streamed on Prime Video.
It is expected to reach the largest global audience in Earthshot’s history, with the event being streamed in more than 40 languages across 240 countries.
