Prince William makes surprise television appearance to discuss environmental initiatives and childhood career dreams
Prince William made a surprise appearance on BBC One’s The Graham Norton Show, stepping onto the red sofa in a pre-recorded special dedicated to the Earthshot Prize. During the broadcast, the Prince of Wales discussed his environmental initiative, shared his family’s television habits, and revealed childhood ambitions that included working as a police officer or a DJ under the moniker “DJ Xara.”
Promoting the Earthshot Prize ahead of Mumbai awards ceremony
The royal guest joined host Graham Norton alongside actors Cate Blanchett and Hannah Waddingham, as well as wildlife presenter Robert Irwin, to promote the upcoming Earthshot Prize ceremony scheduled for November in Mumbai, India. Prince William established the global environmental award in 2020 to celebrate and scale solutions that repair the planet, drawing inspiration from former US President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot project. The initiative awards five categories—Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate—with each winner receiving £1 million.
Reflecting on the tone of environmental discussions, William told the studio audience: 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.
Alongside the main awards, the Prince of Wales announced a new children’s edition of the Earthshot Prize this year, featuring fifteen young finalists aged nine to 17 from across India who will present their environmental ideas for a $2,000 grant per winning team.
Prince William discussed early career dreams and TV habits
Shifting away from environmental policy, the conversation turned to lighter topics, including the Prince’s early career aspirations and household viewing habits. William admitted he once thought being a policeman was “quite cool” before going through a phase where he wanted to be a DJ. Billed as DJ Xara—spelt with an X—he confessed to Norton that he “wasn’t very good” and fell short of the standard required to play school parties.
The Prince also shared that he and his children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, are devoted fans of the BBC reality game show The Celebrity Traitors. I love it, the family love it. Charlotte and Louis are obsessed with it. It’s really good telly,
William said. He recounted a recent encounter with contestant and actor Ross Kemp, whom he met on October 6 in Ilminster, Somerset, to launch an emergency preparedness initiative called Ready Together. Trying out the show’s premise in person, William joked that he attempted to touch Kemp to see his reaction, noting, Turns out he was really jumpy!
Prince William admires Christopher Nolan films
When asked how he switches off, William cited music and film, expressing a distinct preference for the work of director Christopher Nolan. The Prince described himself as a big fan of Nolan’s filmography, particularly The Dark Knight series. His films are fantastic – The Dark Knight series is psychologically dark and deep, and I absolutely love that,
William said. He takes concepts that are completely out there and makes them incredibly entertaining.