Friday’s episode of The Graham Norton Show shocked and surprised viewers when Prince William made an appearance on the show. It turns out this was part of a special edition to mark the Earthshot Prize.
During the episode, the Duke of Cambridge joined Robert Irwin, actress Cate Blanchett and Hannah Waddingham, all of whom are involved with the prize. As Norton spoke of the initiative with that trio, he surprised the audience by inviting Prince William to join them on the couch, leading to gasps and cheers from those in the audience.
What was discussed on the popular British TV show? Read on to find out.
Prince William Does The Graham Norton Show
During the unique episode of The Graham Norton Show on Friday, they discussed the need to pair urgency and optimism to efforts to tackle climate change. It turns out the prize was founded by Prince William to “celebrate and scale the solutions that will repair our planet.”
As reported by the Independent, the three celebrities also chatted about the Duke of Cambridge’s long-time support for Aston Villa, as well as his love for Christopher Nolan films.
The Earthshot Prize was set up by the future king in 2020, as he drew inspiration from US President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot project. That project challenged scientists to send astronauts to the Moon and back safely.
About The 5 Earthshots
In describing the project, there are five Earthshots – or goals – that will attract an award. The goals are Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. Each winner in the award receives £1 million ($1.3 million).
Meanwhile, Prince William has committed himself to the Earthshot prize until 2030, and this year’s winners will be announced at a ceremony in Mumbai, India in November.
In 2025, the award ceremony for the prizes attracted some famous faces, including former Formula 1 driver, Sebastian Vettel, and the then-UK Prime Minister, Keir Starmer. The event in Rio de Janeiro also saw Shawn Mendes and Kylie Minogue performing at the ceremony.
The 2025 “Earthshot” winners included Lagos Fashion Week for their work in “transforming one of the world’s most wasteful industries” by encouraging designers to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. Speaking at the ceremony, Prince William said these winners were “proof that progress is possible.”
Prince William & Earthshot
The future king stayed the full hour of the Graham Norton show while promoting Earthshot. He was amazed at a fellow guest’s almost-naked photoshoot with a python, and got to famously boot someone out of the red chair.
Meanwhile, William the football fan chatted about Ross Kemp of the Celebrity Traitors, and how his friends got him into Aston Villa, “Clearly thinking they’d get some free tickets in later life, and I think it’s probably worked.”
The Duke of Cambridge also opened up about his love for movies that are “deep” and a “little bit different.” It also turns out he is a Swiftie, after Norton asked him about trying to edge Travis Kelce out of his family selfie with Taylor Swift. Moreover, Norton asked William about spending his life posing for photo opps.
“It’s a privilege to operate the popcorn machine everywhere I go,” Prince William replied.
The episode of The Graham Norton Show aired on BBC One at 22:40 Friday. Readers can watch a video from the show below where William attracts laughter from the audience as he describes what he wanted to be as a child, including being a policeman, “because he was tall.” He clearly didn’t understand that he could grow up to be a king.
Comments
Viewers Stunned By Shock Appearance Of Prince William On The Graham Norton Show