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The Prince of Wales has made a surprise appearance on the Graham Norton Show, as part of a special edition to mark the Earthshot Prize.<\/b><\/p>\n
During the episode, which airs on Friday, he joined Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham, who are all involved with the prize.<\/p>\n
As Norton spoke about the initiative with the trio he surprised the audience by then inviting the prince out to join them on the sofa.<\/p>\n
They discussed the need to pair optimism and urgency when tackling climate change. The prize was founded by William to “celebrate and scale the solutions that will repair our planet”.<\/p>\n
The guests also chatted about William’s long-time support for Aston Villa, and his love of Christopher Nolan films.<\/p>\n
William set up the Earthshot Prize in 2020, drawing inspiration from US President John F Kennedy’s Moonshot project, which challenged scientists to get astronauts to the Moon and back safely.<\/p>\n
There are five Earthshots, or goals, for which an award is given: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. Each winner receives \u00a31m.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Last year, the ceremony for the prizes 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
At last year’s ceremony, William said the winners were “proof that progress is possible”.<\/p>\n
The Graham Norton Show is on BBC One at 22.40 Friday.<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n