Prince William has made television history by becoming the first member of the British royal family to appear on The Graham Norton Show, surprising the studio audience during a special episode dedicated to his environmental initiative, the Earthshot Prize.

The Prince of Wales joined host Graham Norton alongside Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett, conservationist Robert Irwin and actress Hannah Waddingham in a pre-recorded programme filmed ahead of its BBC One broadcast at 10.40pm on Friday, October 23.

His unexpected arrival prompted cheers and gasps from the audience as he took his place on Norton’s famous red sofa. Although the conversation centred largely on the Earthshot Prize, William also offered a glimpse into his life away from royal duties, discussing his favourite films, his support for Aston Villa and his family’s enthusiasm for BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors.

He even revealed that, had he not been destined to become king, he might have pursued a career in the police or tried his hand at DJing.

William Opens Up About His Family’s Favourite TV Show

One of the lighter moments came when William spoke about his family’s enthusiasm for The Celebrity Traitors. The Prince revealed that the programme had become a particular favourite of Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

“I love it, the family love it. Charlotte and Louis are obsessed with it. It’s really good telly,” he said.

William also shared an amusing encounter with former EastEnders actor Ross Kemp, who appeared in the first episode of the series.

Recalling seeing Kemp the following day, William admitted that he could not resist testing the actor’s reaction, while making sure to do so appropriately.

“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!” he explained.

The anecdote offered a rare glimpse of the Prince’s playful side, away from the formal appearances and public responsibilities that usually define his role.

From Aspiring Police Officer to Film Enthusiast

William also reflected on the careers he once considered before his royal future became the defining feature of his life.

He recalled wanting to become a police officer when he was younger, believing he might have been suited to the job. Later, he developed an interest in DJing, although he admitted that his musical skills were less impressive.

“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,” he said.

When discussing how he relaxes outside his official commitments, William explained that music and films help him switch off. He particularly enjoys movies that encourage deeper thought, alongside action films.

Christopher Nolan emerged as a clear favourite, with William praising the director’s ability to combine complex ideas with compelling entertainment.

“I’m a big fan of everything Christopher Nolan does. His films are fantastic – The Dark Knight series is psychologically dark and deep and I absolutely love that,” he said.

He added that Nolan has a particular talent for making ambitious and unusual concepts accessible to audiences.

“He takes concepts that are completely out there and makes them incredibly entertaining.”

William’s appearance also included a turn in one of the programme’s best-known features, the Big Red Chair. He helped Norton decide which guests should be tipped backwards from the chair, a comic segment in which participants share entertaining stories at the risk of being sent tumbling off the stage.

Why William Created the Earthshot Prize

Beyond the lighter conversation, the central focus of the programme was the Earthshot Prize, the environmental initiative William established in 2020 to recognise and support solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

Explaining what inspired the project, the Prince said years of hearing about environmental problems had left him concerned about the overwhelmingly negative tone surrounding the subject.

Rather than allowing that pessimism to dominate the conversation, he wanted to create a platform that combined the urgency of the climate crisis with a more optimistic view of what could be achieved.

“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,” he explained.

“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.”

William said the prize was designed to bring greater attention to people already working to protect the planet and help their ideas reach a much wider audience.

“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 stressed that tackling climate change requires collective action. No individual or single initiative can solve the problem alone, making collaboration between innovators, investors and environmental advocates essential to expanding successful solutions.

The Earthshot Prize aims to identify promising ideas, support the people behind them and help those projects grow so they can make a greater difference internationally.

Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham and Robert Irwin Praise Earthshot’s Mission

William was joined in the discussion by three guests with direct connections to the Earthshot Prize.

Cate Blanchett, who serves on the prize’s council, described the initiative as a “tapestry of solutions”, reflecting the range of approaches being developed to address environmental challenges.

Hannah Waddingham, who hosted the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore, highlighted the support available to finalists. She also emphasised the initiative’s ability to connect innovators with the expertise, professional networks and investment required to expand their work.

Robert Irwin, an Earthshot Prize Global Ambassador, spoke about the importance of inspiring younger generations and encouraging more young people to become advocates for the environment.

Together, their contributions highlighted the prize’s wider purpose: bringing promising environmental solutions into the spotlight and helping the people behind them turn their ideas into projects with greater global reach.

The programme also featured a musical performance by singer Jorja Smith.

William’s Appearance Comes After Harry’s Recent Interview

William’s television appearance came just days after his estranged brother, Prince Harry, attracted attention with a 42-minute interview for GQ.

During that conversation, Harry described reconciliation with his family as “the most important thing” to him. However, in comments that appeared to allude to the difficulties between them, he added that “some people don’t want it to work out”.

The release of the interview prompted criticism from those who felt it had overshadowed an important occasion for the Royal Family, as they welcomed the Sultan of Oman to Windsor.

There was, however, no immediate indication in the programme’s advance publicity that William would address his brother’s comments during the Graham Norton appearance. Instead, the announced topics focused on the Earthshot Prize, his personal interests and his family life.

The Prince and Princess of Wales’s official Instagram account had offered a preview of the appearance by sharing a photograph of William sitting on Norton’s famous sofa in a blue suit.

Although William is the first royal to appear on The Graham Norton Show, he is not the first member of the Royal Family to take part in a television chat show.

Princess Anne and Prince Philip’s Earlier Chat Show Appearances

Princess Anne appeared on Sir Terry Wogan’s programme, Wogan, in 1985. During the interview, she responded humorously to a hypothetical question about the monarchy coming to an end, suggesting she would work “even harder on the farm” at Gatcombe Park, her private country estate and working farm.

The Princess also discussed her experience as a farmer’s wife, her role in the British Olympic Association and her decision to prioritise royal duties over attending university. She revealed that both she and her husband held Heavy Goods Vehicle licences.

Her father, the late Prince Philip, appeared on the same programme the following year, in 1986. He spoke about his interest in carriage-driving, questioned why more people did not play polo and discussed the upcoming wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.

Sir Terry Wogan hosted his television programme from 1982 to 1992, making it a familiar fixture of British television during that period.

William’s appearance on Norton’s show marks another instance of the Royal Family engaging with a mainstream entertainment programme, this time through a conversation that mixed personal anecdotes with a major public initiative.

Earthshot Prize Countdown Continues Ahead of Mumbai Event

William’s television appearance forms part of the wider build-up to the next Earthshot Prize event, which is scheduled to take place in Mumbai on November 17.

Last week, the Prince began the countdown by taking part in a cricket match on The Mall alongside some of Britain’s and India’s leading cricketing figures.

Among those joining him were England Test captain Joe Root, former India national team captains Ajinkya Rahane and Sourav Ganguly, and West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara.

Their assessment of William’s performance was encouraging, describing him as a “pretty good batter”, although they felt his bowling needed more work.

Root also praised the setting, observing: “There are some wonderful backdrops in cricket, but none quite like Buckingham Palace.”

England women’s captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, England white-ball captain Harry Brook and radio presenter Greg James also took part in the event, known as Cricket on The Mall.

The cricket gathering offered a sporting introduction to the upcoming prize ceremony, which is expected to attract more than 5,000 participants.

The November event will be streamed on Prime Video in more than 40 languages across 240 countries. Organisers expect it to reach the largest global audience in the Earthshot Prize’s history.

With the international event approaching, William’s appearance on The Graham Norton Show has provided another opportunity to explain the initiative’s ambitions to a broad audience, while allowing viewers to see a more personal side of the future king.