Prince William has won hearts as he makes his late-night television debut, revealing that he did not always dream of becoming a king.
The Prince of Wales joined Australian stars Robert Irwin and Cate Blanchett, alongside Ted Lasso actress Hannah Waddingham, for a special episode of The Graham Norton Show, filmed in the UK on Thursday night.
His appearance had been kept under wraps, with audience members reportedly gasping before erupting into cheers as the future king walked onto the set.
The episode, which aired on the BBC on Friday night (Saturday morning Australian time), was filmed to promote Prince William’s Earthshot Prize, an environmental initiative he launched in 2020.
Ahead of its release, the royal shared images of the episode on Instagram, encouraging his 17.4 million followers to watch him join “the iconic red sofa”.
In a clip shared of the episode, Prince William revealed his alternate career ambitions.
“You’ve been born into your job. As a child, did you fantasize about doing other things?” host Norton asked.
“Did you kind of think ‘When I grow up I might not be King, I’ll do this’?”
As the audience laughed, the royal said agreed there “were elements of that”.
While he brainstormed what he could say on television, Irwin chimed in with a suggestion.
“You didn’t want to go wrangle crocodiles,” he said.
Prince William laughed and joked that if only he had met the conservationist sooner, that could have been the case.
“I did want to be a policeman when I was younger, I thought I could make a good policeman,” the Prince of Wales said.
“Being a policeman I thought was quite cool.
“And then I went through a phase where I wanted to be a DJ, which didn’t go very well.”
The revelation was met with laughter from those sitting alongside him on the couch before he revealed what his DJ name would have been.
“I came up with a name, I was called DJ Xara with an X, it wasn’t good,” he said.
Waddingham agreed, calling the name “rubbish”, while Blanchett queried where the X could be found in the name and the pair crossed their arms in an X formation.
“It rapidly became very uncool,” Prince William conceded.
When Norton asked if he had ever DJed at parties, he said he “never got that good”.
The royal shared the clip, posted by the Graham Norton Show on the Instagram account that he shares with wife Catherine.
Winning the hearts of audiences
The clip attracted more than 275,000 comments within three hours of it being posted, with many praising the prince’s authenticity and charisma.
“Absolutely brilliant. authentic. he’s genuinely himself. His grandmother would be so proud of him,” wrote one netizen.
“It’s so nice to see this side of him, not in a formal setting,” added another.
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“He is so well spoken and Princess Diana and The Queen would be so proud of him!! He looks so like Princess Diana,” said one commenter.
Several viewers highlighted the similarities between Prince William and his late mother.
Prince William reveals children’s TV obsession
While the full episode has not yet been released in Australia, other topics covered included his family’s television habits.
The Prince of Wales said his family were hooked on the latest UK series of The Celebrity Traitors.
“I love it, the family love it. Charlotte and Louis are obsessed with it. It’s really good telly,” he said, according to The New Daily.
The prince also opened up about his love of movies, revealing a particular appreciation for Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher Nolan.
“His films 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,” Prince William told host Graham Norton.
The royal also discussed his long-standing support for English Premier League club Aston Villa.
Prince William reportedly joined in with the show’s famous Big Red Chair segment, helping decide whether audience members telling embarrassing stories would be allowed to finish or be tipped backwards.
Robert Irwin reunites with Prince William
The television appearance also marked another reunion between Prince William and Australian wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin.
The 22-year-old, who serves as a global ambassador for the Earthshot Prize, previously joined the prince aboard an electric bus in London in June to promote the environmental initiative.
At the time, Irwin praised Prince William’s commitment to protecting the planet.
“He’s been doing this for a very long time, and I really think that he’s seen first-hand what it is that the world needs, and I think it’s just fantastic that he uses his platform to unite people,” Irwin told HELLO! magazine.
Blanchett, who sits on the Earthshot Prize Council, and Waddingham, who hosted the initiative’s 2023 awards ceremony in Singapore, also joined the conversation.
According to the BBC, the guests discussed the importance of combining optimism with urgency when addressing climate change.
The Earthshot Prize recognises innovative environmental solutions, awarding five winners £1 million ($AU1.9 million) each year to help expand their work.
This year’s winners will be announced in Mumbai on November 17, with Irwin expected to attend alongside Oscar-winning actor Rami Malek, South African television personality Nomzamo Mbatha and Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
Prince Harry’s comments amid Prince William rift
Prince William’s television appearance comes just days after his estranged brother Prince Harry opened up about his hopes of reconciling with his family.
Speaking to GQ magazine, the Duke of Sussex acknowledged that family breakdowns were common, adding: “I want it to work out.”
He also said there was already enough drama in the world without continuing family disputes, declaring: “It’s not worth it.”
However, Prince Harry’s spokesperson later clarified that the remarks were “absolutely not intended as a swipe at his brother or any other member of his family”.
The representative stressed the comments were made in a general context and were not directed at the royal family.