The Prince of Wales has made his first appearance on The Graham Norton Show, where he talked about his family’s love of Celebrity Traitors, his thwarted ambition to be a DJ, Aston Villa, Christopher Nolan… and the Earthshot Prize.

William walked out on stage to joyful cheers and gasps as host Graham was chatting to celebrity guests Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham in a pre-recorded episode on Thursday night.

In his first ever appearance on a chat show, the prince largely discussed his work on the Earthshot Prize, which he set up in 2020, but he also gave glimpses into his private life

As William took to Graham’s sofa he 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!’

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.

 

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 Graham was chatting with his celebrity guests Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham in a pre–recorded episode tonight, William came out as a surprise guest

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.

The show, which also featured a performance from singer Jorja Smith, will be aired tomorrow on BBC One at 10.40pm

‘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.

‘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 cannot be tackled by a single person or initiative and explained why Earthshot can bring together a global coalition of innovators, investors and advocates.

Ms Blanchett, who is an Earthshot Prize Council Member, called the initiative a ‘tapestry of solutions’ while Ms Waddingham, who hosted the prize’s 2023 awards in Singapore, commended the support given to finalists and its ability to connect innovators with the expertise, networks and investment needed to grow their impact.

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

Earthshot Prize Global Ambassador Irwin, son of late Australian wildlife expert Steve, spoke about Earthshot’s role in inspiring young people and building a new generation of environmental advocates.

The show, which also featured a performance from singer Jorja Smith, will be aired on BBC One at 10.40pm on Friday.

The Prince and Princess of Wales’s official Instagram teased the surprise with a picture of William on the famous sofa posted to their story.

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.

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.

When Princess Anne appeared on the late Sir Terry Wogan’s sofa, 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 then-Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson’s 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’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 tonight’s episode.