Gasps as Prince William makes surprise appearance on Graham Norton Show

The Prince of Wales made a surprise appearance on the Graham Norton Show as part of a special edition marking the Earthshot Prize.

During the episode, which airs on Friday, he joined Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham, all of whom are involved with the prize.

As Norton spoke with the trio about the initiative, he surprised the audience by inviting the prince to join them on the sofa.

They discussed the need to pair optimism and urgency when tackling climate change. William founded the prize to “celebrate and scale the solutions that will repair our planet”.

The guests also chatted about William’s long-time support for Aston Villa, and his love of Christopher Nolan films.

William set up the Earthshot Prize in 2020, inspired by US President John F Kennedy’s Moonshot project, which challenged scientists to send astronauts to the Moon and back safely.

The prize has five Earthshots, or goals, for which it awards prizes: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. Each winner receives £1m.

The future king has committed himself to the prize until 2030. This year’s winners will be announced at a ceremony in Mumbai in November.

Last year, the prize ceremony drew famous faces such as former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel and then-UK prime minister Keir Starmer. Pop stars Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes performed at the ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

The 2025 winners included Lagos Fashion Week, for “transforming one of the world’s most wasteful industries” by requiring designers to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.

At last year’s ceremony, William said the winners were “proof that progress is possible”.