Prince William graced The Graham Norton Show yesterday evening, regaling viewers with several amusing anecdotes, including the occasion he was hilariously confused with the legendary musician Prince at a British engagement.
The Prince of Wales delivered an unexpected appearance on the chat show, sharing the sofa with Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham, all participants in the Earthshot Prize initiative.
His arrival caught the audience off guard, as Norton initially conversed only with Cate, Robert and Hannah, before unexpectedly introducing the prince into proceedings, prompting William’s dramatic entrance. Prior to highlighting the pressing necessity of addressing climate change, William recounted a public encounter that left the studio audience roaring with laughter.
Graham remarked: “Recently you were at an event and someone didn’t know who you were?” William replied: “Yes, that happens quite regularly actually. 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?’ and I looked at him, I’ve had many requests over many years for all ranging parts of society and I said ‘I’m sorry what do you mean?’ he goes ‘when are you going to sing your performance?'”.
“And a 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.”, reports the Daily Star.
Next month, Mumbai will host the Earthshot Prize, where the future monarch will encounter Bollywood luminaries while discovering India’s enormously successful film sector, interact with cricketing legends and oversee the awards ceremony distributing £5million in funding to those proposing solutions to restore the planet.
Prince William went on to discuss the genesis of the Earthshot Prize and its function in discovering and backing innovators globally. He 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.”
Blanchett, who sits on the Earthshot Prize council, characterised the Prize as a “tapestry of solutions”, while Irwin, serving as a global ambassador for the initiative, highlighted the prize’s contribution towards cultivating a fresh generation of environmental champions.
William’s Earthshot Prize venture has reached the midpoint of its decade-spanning programme to acknowledge and celebrate challenges and innovations aimed at preserving the planet, with ceremonies previously held in London, Singapore, Cape Town, Boston and Rio de Janeiro.
