The Prince of Wales William surprised the audience of “The Graham Norton Show“ after unexpectedly joining Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham. His appearance was part of a special episode dedicated to the “Earthshot“ Prize, and prompted cheers from the studio audience. The episode was broadcast on BBC One on Friday night.
The conversation focused on the creation and development of the prize, which William founded in 2020. The initiative is inspired by the American project “Moonshot“, related to the program to send a man to the moon. The purpose of “Earthshot“ is to discover and support solutions to some of the most serious environmental problems.
The award has five areas: protecting and restoring nature, clean air, restoring the oceans, a world without waste and fighting climate change. The winner in each category receives 1 million British pounds.
The broadcast discussed the need to combine optimism and urgency in action against climate change. The prize was created to “celebrate and scale up solutions that will restore the planet“, the initiative's presentation states.
William has committed to supporting the project until 2030. The 2026 winners will be announced at a ceremony in Mumbai in November.
The conversation went beyond environmental topics. The prince spoke about his long-standing support for „Aston Villa“ and his interest in Christopher Nolan's films.
Among the guests was Cate Blanchett, who is a member of the Earthshot board. Robert Irwin is an ambassador for the initiative, and Hannah Waddingham hosted the 2023 ceremony. Singer Georgia Smith performed the song “Dancing“ live before joining the conversation.
The 2025 ceremony was held in Rio de Janeiro. Among the honorees was “Lagos Fashion Week“ because of the requirements for designers to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable development. At the time, William described the winners as “proof that progress is possible“.