Prince William marks royal first as he joins late-night talk show


The Prince surprised the audience of the BBC One talk show when he joined filming halfway through


Prince William, Prince of Wales smiles as he rides in a boat during a tour of the Guapimirim mangrove area in Guanabara Bay, which is managed by the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (ICMBio), to learn about the restoration work taking place there, on day two of his visit to Brazil for the annual Earthshot Prize Awards on November 4, 2025 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Prince William is undertaking a number of engagements related to the environment in Rio De Janeiro ahead of his attendance at the fifth annual Earthshot Prize awards ceremony. (Photo by Aaron Chown-Pool/Getty Images)© Getty Images
Rebecca Lewis
Rebecca LewisLos Angeles correspondent
18 minutes ago

Prince William has marked a royal first, sitting down on British talk show The Graham Norton Show alongside Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin, and Hannah Waddingham.

The Prince surprised the audience of the BBC One talk show when he joined the episode halfway through as Graham revealed it was a special Earthshot Prize edition of the award-winning series.

Man with beard sitting in chair in tv studio© BBC/So Television/PA Media/Matt Crossick
Graham Norton on The Graham Norton Show

Graham spoke with Cate, Robert and Hannah about their individual work before revealing to the unsuspecting audience what connects them all: The Earthshot Prize.

Cate is an Earthshot Prize Council Member, Robert is the Earthshot Prize Global Ambassador, and Hannah hosted the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore.

Hannah Waddingham and Prince William, Prince of Wales attend the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony on November 07, 2023 in Singapore. The Earthshot Prize is awarded to five winners each year for their contributions to environmentalism. It was first awarded in 2021 and is planned to run annually until 2030. Each winner receives a grant of £1 million to continue their environmental work. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images)© Getty Images
Hannah and Prince William at the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony

The Prince and Graham reflected on the origins of the Prize, which William launched in  2020, but William also spoke about his love for Aston Villa and Christopher Nolan movies.

William also spoke about the importance of a global coalition, insisting that no single person or initiative can solve the challenge alone. Cate praised the Prize as a "tapestry of solutions," and Hannah highlighted how important it wasl that Finalists were supported and connected with networks and investment needed to grow their impact.  

The Prince of Wales and actress Cate Blanchett visit Earthshot Prize Finalist Colorifix, a UK based company which creates sustainable dye for clothing on June 19, 2025 in Norwich, England. (Photo by Eddie Mulholland - WPA Pool/Getty Images)© Getty Images
The Prince of Wales and actress Cate Blanchett visit Earthshot Prize Finalist Colorifix

The Earthshot Prize is awarded to five winners each year for their contributions towards environmentalism. Winners are currently working on methods to capture 18 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions; restore land, forests, freshwater systems, oceans and coastline; remove or upcycle 465,000 tonnes of waste; and improve quality for communities.

The Prince of Wales (R) smiles as he arrives with Robert Irwin by bus to the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly for Climate Action Week at Guildhall on June 23, 2026 in London, England. (Photo by Karwai Tang/WireImage)© WireImage
The Prince of Wales (R) smiles as he arrives with Robert Irwin to the Earthshot Prize Impact Assembly in 2026

Prince William is the first working royal to sit down on a British talk show, although both Sarah Ferguson and Lady Glenconnor have previously sat on Graham's famous red couch.

After leaving the royal family in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have both appeared on US talk shows, including The Late Late Show with James Corden in 2021, The Ellen DeGeneres Show the same year, and The Drew Barrymore Show in 2025.

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