Prince William makes surprise Graham Norton Show appearance for Earthshot Prize

Prince William made a surprise appearance on a special edition of The Graham Norton Show to promote his Earthshot environmental prize. The Prince of Wales was introduced to the sofa with a warm first-time welcome, a setting more usually associated with entertainment stars. He appeared alongside the prize's ambassadors, the actors Cate Blanchett and Hannah Waddingham and the conservationist Robert Irwin.

The appearance was billed as a first for the royal family. William used it to explain why he wanted the Earthshot Prize to strike a more hopeful note. He said that for many years he had listened to stories about environmental issues that were full of doom and gloom, and that this had got him down. He said he wanted to do something more powerful and more optimistic.

The conversation also turned to his childhood ambitions. William said he wanted to be a policeman when he was younger and thought he could make a good policeman. He then went through a phase of wanting to be a DJ, using the name DJ Zara with an X. He joked about the name and said the idea rapidly became very uncool. He said he never got good at DJing and would have to stick with being a prince.

He also spoke about his love of films and television. He said his family watch Celebrity Traitors with his friend Ross Kemp. He joked about not spoiling the show and said Kemp had broken his contract in many areas. There was no mention of his brother's recent return to the UK or reports of an apparent wish to reconcile.

The Earthshot Prize winners will be announced in Mumbai in November. The programme was broadcast as a special edition of the chat show.