Prince William has revealed that he once considered becoming a police officer and secretly takes part in Aston Villa fan forums, during a surprise appearance on The Graham Norton Show.
The 44-year-old Prince of Wales traded royal engagements for the famous red sofa on Friday night, winning over the studio audience as he showed a more relaxed side alongside Hollywood stars Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham and Robert Irwin.
The future King was met with gasps when Norton announced his arrival. During the interview, he discussed his unusual childhood career plans, his devotion to football and the television shows that have captivated his children.
Aston Villa supporters were given a particularly unexpected treat when William disclosed that he quietly joins online fan discussions. The forums give him a way to share his enthusiasm for the Premier League club away from the public gaze.
William also admitted that, before embracing his royal future, he had seriously thought about pursuing a career in the police.
He later went through a phase of wanting to become a DJ, although his efforts to make a name for himself behind the decks did not exactly take off.
“Then I went through a phase of wanting to be a DJ, which didn’t go very well. I was called DJ Xara, with an X,” he said.
Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham was far from impressed, quipping: “Oh, that’s rubbish.”
The 44-year-old Prince of Wales swapped royal duties for the famous red sofa on Friday night, delighting the studio audience with his more informal approach
The future King was greeted by gasps when Graham Norton introduced him and spoke about his childhood ambitions, football passion and the TV shows his children enjoy
William appeared happy to take the jokes in his stride, joining the light-hearted exchange and offering a rare glimpse of the man behind the royal title.
His appearance was primarily aimed at promoting the Earthshot Prize, the environmental initiative he launched six years ago to back innovative answers to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
The conversation also provided a glimpse into family life behind palace walls, including the programmes watched by the Wales household.
William said Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, are especially keen on the BBC’s hit reality show The Celebrity Traitors.
“I love it, the family love it. Charlotte and Louis are obsessed with it. It’s really good telly,” he said.
The Prince also described playing a prank on former EastEnders actor Ross Kemp after watching him grow increasingly anxious about being murdered by one of his fellow contestants.
“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!”
Kemp’s suspicions proved well founded during Thursday night’s episode, when traitors James Acaster and Maya Jama successfully removed him from the competition.
He was not eliminated through a touch, however. Instead, his downfall came as part of a plot involving yawning and poisoned perfume.
William added that films provide a welcome escape from the demands of royal life, with movies directed by Christopher Nolan among his particular favourites.
‘It is music and film. I love getting immersed in deep-thinking films,’ he said.
‘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 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.’
Ross Kemp is among the newest group of Faithfuls on the hit BBC show and appeared delighted to discover that the Prince and Princess of Wales are huge fans of the reality show
William appeared entirely at ease with the teasing as he joined in the light-hearted conversation, in a rare glimpse of the man behind the royal title
His appearance was intended to promote his Earthshot Prize, the environmental initiative he launched six years ago to support innovative solutions to some of the planet’s biggest challenges
The Prince also insisted that, despite being a famous face around the world, he ‘quite regularly’ meets people who do not recognise him.
He told Norton: ‘I went to a place in Somerset and was looking around some of the local communities there, and one lovely gentleman looked up at me from his seat and said, ‘When are you going to sing?’.
‘I’ve had many requests over many years from all ranging parts of society, and I said, ‘I’m sorry, what do you mean?’.
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‘He goes, ‘When are you going to sing your performance?’, and the lady behind tapped his arm and went, ‘No, no, he’s not that prince’.
‘It turned out he wanted me to sing Purple Rain, which I don’t know the lyrics for.’
William also discussed meeting Taylor Swift backstage at her record-breaking Eras Tour when she performed at London’s Wembley Stadium in June 2024.
The Prince said he only recently realised the ‘significance’ of a photo he and his children Charlotte and George took with Swift’s now-husband, American footballer Travis Kelce, which became the first the singer shared of them both.
William joked: ‘I hadn’t appreciated the significance, and actually, I was trying to move him out of the photo, and he just kept coming back in.
‘I kept trying to move him out, so it was just me, Taylor and the children.’
His laid-back performance was welcomed by royal fans, with viewers praising the future monarch for appearing approachable and willing to poke fun at himself.
One social media user described his appearance as ‘a bit of fresh air’, adding that he ‘brought positive energy and did well for someone who’s not used to the TV show format’.
The show, which also featured a performance from singer Jorja Smith, will be aired tomorrow on BBC One at 10.40pm
Another praised the ‘feeling of normalcy’ surrounding William, while one admirer described him as ‘the fun and cool and unproblematic royal’.
William’s appearance marks a departure from the more traditional royal interviews and engagements usually associated with heirs to the throne.
He is only the second future British monarch to take a seat on a television chat show sofa, following in the footsteps of his father, King Charles.
The Prince has increasingly embraced less formal appearances in recent years, including interviews on sports podcasts and BBC Radio 1, as he attempts to connect with audiences beyond the usual royal circles.
But his latest television outing has also prompted speculation about the timing, coming amid renewed publicity surrounding his estranged brother Prince Harry and sister-in-law Meghan Markle.
PR expert Mark Borkowski suggested the appearance could be a ‘riposte’ to the Sussexes’ recent domination of royal headlines following their return to Britain.
However, sources close to William have insisted his decision to appear was motivated by his determination to promote the Earthshot Prize rather than any desire to compete with his younger brother.
There was no mention of the brothers’ estrangement or the possibility of reconciliation during the interview.
Instead, the Prince concentrated on the environmental initiative he founded in 2020, which awards £1million each to five winners every year to help develop solutions to major environmental problems.
Explaining why he established the awards, William said: ‘For many years I was hearing stories about environment issues and one thing that struck me was the negativity and doom which got me down.
‘I thought we could do something more powerful and more optimistic and the idea of an awards ceremony came about and we could talk about urgency and optimism together. It’s all about getting excited.’
He added: ‘There are some amazing people out there doing things to protect the world.’
His fellow guests all have longstanding connections to the project.
Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett is a member of the Earthshot Prize council, Australian conservationist Robert Irwin serves as a global ambassador, while Waddingham hosted the 2023 ceremony in Singapore.
Singer Jorja Smith also appeared on the programme, performing her single Dancing.
This year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony will be held in Mumbai next month, with William expected to meet Bollywood stars, learn more about India’s film industry and spend time with some of the country’s cricketing greats.
The event will see £5million awarded to five environmental innovators, while children across India have also been encouraged to devise their own solutions to environmental challenges through the ‘I Can Earthshot Challenge’.
Previous ceremonies have been staged in London, Boston, Singapore, Cape Town and Rio de Janeiro.
And despite the continuing tensions with Harry, William appeared determined to keep the focus on his own family, interests and charitable work.
For one evening at least, the future King seemed perfectly happy to trade royal formality for a few jokes on Graham Norton’s sofa.
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