I’ll take “Desperate for Cultural Relevance” for $100, Alex. Last night, the Graham Norton Show released some preview photos of their new, just-filmed show. It turns out that Prince William was a special guest, alongside some of the Earthshot Prize’s ambassadors like Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham and Robert Irwin. Graham Norton basically platformed William’s busywork scheme, without anyone mentioning that William’s carbon footprint is shameful and that William travels almost exclusively by private helicopter.
The Prince of Wales has made a surprise appearance on a special Earthshot Prize edition of The Graham Norton Show. As TV host Graham was chatting with his celebrity guests Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham in a pre-recorded episode tonight, William revealed himself as a surprise guest. William, who set up The Earthshot Prize in 2020, was met with joyful cheers and gasps from the audience as he became what is believed to be the first royal to sit on Graham’s famous sofa.
The show, which also featured a performance from singer Jorja Smith, will be aired tomorrow on BBC One at 10.40pm.
Before William’s reveal, Graham had been speaking with Blanchett, Earthshot Prize Council Member, Irwin, Earthshot Prize Global Ambassador and Waddingham, who hosted the 2023 Earthshot Prize Awards in Singapore, about their work. Graham then revealed that the connection between all three celebrities is The Earthshot Prize, to which he segues into William’s arrival.
While on the sofa, William discussed the origins of the Prize as well as pairing a need for urgency and optimism when it comes to tackling climate change. William is not the only royal to have appeared on a chat show, with Princess Anne appearing on The Wogan Show in 1985 and the late Prince Philip in 1986.
William’s attendance on the show comes only days after his estranged brother, Harry, appeared in the media with an interview with GQ. In the revealing 42–minute conversation, Harry said that reconciliation with his family was ‘the most important thing’ to him, but in apparent swipe at his estranged brother, he declared that ‘some people don’t want it to work out.’ There were accusations that the release of the video overshadowed an important day for the royal family as they welcomed the Sultan of Oman to Windsor. There is no immediate indication from early press materials that William referred to the comments in tomorrow’s episode.
Instead, William took to Graham’s sofa and spoke about BBC’s The Celebrity Traitors, saying: ‘I love it, the family love it. Charlotte and Louis are obsessed with it. It’s really good telly.’
He humorously added: ‘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!’
William spoke about what he would be if he were not set to be king, and said that he would have been a policeman or a DJ. He said: ‘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.’
When it came to switching off, he revealed that he uses ‘music and film’ to wind down: ‘I love getting immersed in deep–thinking films. I like action films too, but I like something a bit different. I’m a big fan of everything Christopher Nolan does. His films are 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.’
This was not planned in a day because of Prince Harry’s GQ video – Norton books guests weeks and months in advance. But if you’re looking for a Harry-related angle, William probably got the idea because of Harry’s appearances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. That’s the comparison, that’s what William was trying to copy. And Graham Norton really is one of the best talk shows in the UK – it’s a huge “get” for William that he was even allowed to yammer about Earthshot on such a popular chat show. I guess William is fine with the BBC when it suits him, huh? Anyway if the preview and photos are any indication, William has the on-screen charisma of a wood plank.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- ‘Graham Norton Show’ at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre Featuring: Prince William, Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham, Robert Irwin, Jorja Smith, Graham Norton Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Oct 2026 Credit: Matt Crossick/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- ‘Graham Norton Show’ at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre Featuring: Prince William, Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham and Robert Irwin Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Oct 2026 Credit: Matt Crossick/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- ‘Graham Norton Show’ at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre Featuring: Prince William, Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham and Robert Irwin Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Oct 2026 Credit: Matt Crossick/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- ‘Graham Norton Show’ at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre Featuring: Prince William Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Oct 2026 Credit: Matt Crossick/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- ‘Graham Norton Show’ at BBC Studioworks 6 Television Centre Featuring: Prince William Where: London, United Kingdom When: 22 Oct 2026 Credit: Matt Crossick/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Look at him trying to play the intellectual, he won’t read anything but he likes ‘deep thinking’ films. Like Batman. Sometimes. That PR person really is putting int he work isn’t she?
Desperately trying for relevance.
That made me laugh. “I love deep thinking films….like Batman.”
(and dont get me wrong, Nolan’s Batman movies are excellent, but even in Nolan’s filmography, they’re far from the most deep thinking movies of his.)
I wonder if he has bat slippers?
So I skimmed the above but when I saw your comment, I had to go back and read. Wow. I can’t believe he said that (I can; he’s deep as a puddle and no one tells him he’s an idiot to his face.
I wonder how the other guests navigated that. Laughing because they thought it was a joke, then immediately having to switch when they realize “oh no, he’s perfectly serious.”
@Calliope, exact same. He is such an embarrassment.
Switching off? Switching off from what, William? What do you actually do all day?
Hey KP, free advice, it’s been about 5 years now, maybe start seriously highlighting previous winners and all the success they’ve had scaling their initiatives.
He knows nothing about previous contenders/winners most probably. He just flies to the host city
Private jet, anyone? Environmental hypocrite is what Willnot is! Shameful!
Or even like showcase the winners in any way? What is this celebrity ambassador BS? I know what it is, an excuse to hang out with celebs, but it feels so abstracted from the real cause. Bring all the winners on TV! I read a lot of Royal goss which isn’t exactly a news source but I have absolutely no clue what earth shot has even awarded bc his PR is all celebs.
I’m just curious if they got him drunk. The real William!
I notice in the photo that he just has a glass of water in front of him while Hannah has wine and looks like Cate went straight for a big tumbler of whiskey (good on you, ladies). Can’t have one pint Willie getting drunk in front of the entire nation.
And the news of Meghan’s Dad sucked ALL the air out of William’s room/appearance. William simply cant win.
All I have to say about this is a) someone has caught the Sussex copy keening bug from his wife and b) finally, the KP press office is making interesting choices. The Graham Norton show is a VERY popular chat show in the UK so this will is a big deal for both Graham and Scooter.
PS. Love me some Graham – you should all listen to him compering the Eurovision song contest for the BBC – he is funny AF.
He absolutely planned this because Harry was a guest on Late Night with Stephen Colbert and saw what a smash hit it was. He uses Earth Shit as a conduit to get attention and respect and play like he’s actually doing something with his time.
Kate and Hannah! Ladies—what are we doing here?
Huh. Was it necessary to dress like a banker though?
He’s smiling! I hope he didn’t break anything in his face doing that. A smile is so off-brand for him.
He has that very insincere grin.
He does look like smiling is a new skill he hasn’t mastered yet!
Poor sausage, he is completely overshadowed by Thomas Markle today
It’s honestly not a bad idea, it’s just too bad the man is a charisma vacuum. Even Graham Norton can’t bring him to life
Agree, most people probably couldn’t tell you what Earthshot does, so get out there and explain it. But he didn’t seem to have highlighted any of the winners (correct me if I’m wrong), just “here are some celebs I was able to rope in,” so in the end there was still no point.
Is this good promotion for Earthshot? Sure. But what are people talking about? The comment about Celebrity Traitors and Charlotte and Louis.
I immediately thought of Harry being the gingerbread prince who saves christmas when I saw this. This obviously wasn’t a direct reaction to the interview this week – but it is absolutely reactionary to Harry in general.
But the interesting thing for me is the social media comments – yes there are some praising the future king for being a man of the people for appearing on this – but there are a LOT more comments comparing him to Harry and finding him the loser, or questioning his helicopter usage, or his private plane usage, etc.
and i’ve noticed that in general over the last few weeks – I dont konw if its because of the loss of Russian bots or what……but there is a distinct shift in how people respond to these royal stories. Hello mag had a story last week about Kate being a super star because she closed a door or something and the comments were……not good, if you’re Kate.
Oh becks you are onto something . Because ukraine and Russia stiling eachother , many stange things happening in various social media sites. The obvious fawning over wales is very less. As for billy is aggressive promoting this why ? This lazy doesn’t do anything for this award show for past five years why suddenly changed. Also no amount of pr and money will make billy likeable to general public. That’s why he and his jazz hand wife sticks to photo. They might cut and edit to make him good and sound intelligent.
Norton’s really popular here so good idea PR wise for William to do the show.
That said, if you had said to someone 10 years ago that William would go on a talk show, people would have laughed at you lol.
Oh how times have changed…
Well, I’ll give some credit to whoever is running KP’s comms team these days – Graham Norton is the best possible environment for The Other Brother to do well. Norton is entertaining without being cloying, and he really does try his best to play along with his guests. Plus, there’s the buffer of celebrities to prop him up (Harry can do solo interviews, but William needs several babysitters).
I imagine he’ll be praised for days for doing the minimum, but all of this “work” sets a bit of a dangerous precedent for the Wales. If Norton, why not Ali Plumb? Why not the Dish (a YouTube show sponsored by Waitrose that I’ve become obsessed with!). Unpopular Opinion on Radio 1? I don’t think he’d do well in those formats, btw, but these have become staples of the UK press tour.
The poor things are going to be worn out by the end of the year if they keep up this staggering pace of two events a week!
I hadn’t heard of it but the Dish sounds fantastic! Can’t watch while hungry but otherwise, fun! Thanks for the recommendation!
What a simp Robert Irwin is. Hanging out for a gong. The hypocrisy is stunning given it’s a travelling environmental road show – the jokes write themselves.
The celebs also ignore that Slumlord Willy uses helicopters as normies use Ubers. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Australia Republic Now.
IMHO, Robert Irwin isn’t half the man his dad was. It’s disappointing to see him babysitting Pegs. Loved me some Steve Irwin. He looked amazing in those khaki shorts.
What a simp Robert Irwin is. Hanging out for a gong. The hypocrisy is stunning given it’s a travelling environmental road show – the jokes write themselves.
The celebs also ignore that Slumlord Willy uses helicopters as normies use Ubers. 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄
Irwin should know better
The solo side shot of William resembles Diana. Even the smile.
Diana seems to have taken her looks back though, didn’t she?! She’d be appalled by what he’s become imo!
Didn’t people say that appearing on talk shows was unroyal? What’s changed? What happened to royals being above celebrities?
First they condemn Prince Harry then they copy him that has been Willy’s playbook for a decade now if not longer.
Desperate times, @Amy Bee!
He is more a windsor on looks. Diana imo never had that way of smiling
So basically the only Christopher Nolan films he’s seen is the Dark Knight series lol. Nolan DOES do deep thinking interesting films – and I can think of about five of them that are “deep-thinking” before Dark Knight would come up lol..
I mean, Dunkirk is *rightthere.* World War II, Churchill, Branagh, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy and a very interesting way of presenting the story and timeline. I dont think its his “deepest” but it seems to me if I was a future king of Britain, that would be one I would reference.
Exactly what I thought! He said it as if he’s familiar with Nolan’s entire catalog of films, but I would bet my firstborn that Batman is the only one he’s seen. He becomes more embarrassing every time he opens his mouth.
LOL Oh. My. God.
It checks out that Willy wanted to be a police officer — PC Plod. He’s just the sort of dumb, humorless man who would want to bash heads in.
I love Graham Norton! Or I did until he put Will on his show.
Is it just me or does Will look weird or awkward in the group photo?
I think he looks okay, except for his hands, which don’t look natural. He looks like he’s holding a large ball that has fingers attached.
@Well, actually W in the group shot set off my gaydar. (Which means nothing.)
He’s leaning away from the other guests, angling his body away. If they were all in chairs on a traditional set, I don’t think it would be noticeable, but one of the things people love about going on Graham Norton is the couch, which brings a cozier, more friendly dynamic and more interactions between the guests. It’s also worth noting that part of the appeal is guests who are promoting different things – that’s why the Taylor Swift episode had guests ranging from Cillian Murphy to Greta Lee. Here, the guests are obviously all selected to support William and Earthshot, so there’s not as much interplay or spontaneity. It has the vibe of a company dinner where everyone is sucking up to the boss.
William has a special ability to take what could be a fun event and make it stodgy and uncomfortable, so we’ll see how he does.
During what part of the appearance was EarthShot discussed?
Quitecontrary, Absolutely. It tracks. He’d be happy in ICE if he were surrounded by bodyguards 24/7.
I haven’t seen this yet, but he must’ve really hated the bit where they talk to the other people instead of him.
But terrifying and shooting the American people NOT in red states would be too tiring for William. William is happy sucking up to Trump, though it’s quite clear Trump thinks of William as an inferior. Trump gives his fealty to Putin alone.
Smart of Norton to surround him with funny people with oodles of charisma— will probably be entertaining (mostly bc GN is excellent at his job). As for his carbon footprint— yes, he’s a hypocrite for traveling by chopper and living in mansions, but in reality, we don’t significantly combat climate change with individual decisions, we need to regulate corporations and incentivize or legislate good collective decisions (e.g. tax breaks for electric cars, subsidized alternative energy, banning plastic shopping bags, etc.)
My husband (very unfamiliar with all the royal happenings) was watching some morning show this morning when we were getting ready for work, and I guess they were reporting on this. All I heard from the other room was “Wait why are they talking me to death about that Kate woman and her bald headed husband? why is he on TV? I thought they said it was wrong when Meghan did it? Mannn I heard royals I thought they meant Meghan and her husband, don’t nobody care about that other egg and them”
I screamed.
Kate and her bald-headed husband! I’m dead
Why isn’t he in jeans and a sweater? Also,why doesn’t his teeth fit in his mouth? I don’t remember this when he was young.
GN is in a coat and tie and Irwin is in a tuxedo, so jeans + sweater would be under dressed. Plus a blue suit is his prince uniform. Plenty to pick on William about but his clothes are fine here!
@Tamra
His teeth don’t fit properly in his mouth—just like those of all the Windsors (except for Harry)—because they have narrow upper palates; Beatrice is an extreme example of this. Their lower jaws seem too narrow as well, given how incredibly crooked their bottom teeth are—there’s simply not enough room (look at Charles). On top of that, William has a poorly repaired front tooth that sticks out; he knocked it out at a friend’s wedding when, completely plastered, he decided to introduce his face to the pavement :))
But… I guess someone must be reading *Celebitchy* to him (he doesn’t read it himself), because his teeth have been whitened.
What a good little baby—he should keep listening to us… :))
Snooze.
If something winds up bringing good out of this, so much the better. I remember reading about the Earthshot winners in a previous year, and they and their inventions were amazing. Never heard a word about them again or anywhere else. Some people think it will enhance them in some way to be Royal adjacent, but it seems William thinks that being celebrity adjacent will make him cool. Harry actually is cool because he wants to give, and William wants to get. So he isn’t cool; he’s just needy.
Willy Wonka is the worst. Big toothed pain in the ass. His entire life is a waste of time.
I mean, he did fine. Norton is a great host and the other guests were game, so that in and of itself helped him look better. At least the bit about wanting to be a Deejay but sucking at it was relatable. He’s awkward but I do think this was a good move by his PR people.
Therese, perfectly stated.
An excellent PR move. He did well. Ratings are good.
Good PR for William for once. But it’s a scripted, tightly edited show. And today we read that he’s booting out tenant farmers on Duchy of Cornwall land. Homelessness eh, William?