Prince William and Robert Irwin are the unlikely duo we never knew we needed.
They share a common interest in protecting the planet, and they’ve been teaming up for the Earthshot Prize since 2023. Their bond was on full display when they appeared together on The Graham Norton Show recently, and an insider says their friendship runs much deeper.
How Prince William and Robert Irwin’s friendship started
“William and Robert have been friends since 2021 when Wills joined a conservation zoom chat with Australia Zoo,” a source tells Woman’s Day. “They immediately clicked and since then they’ve been in constant contact – from travelling to Cape Town together in 2024 to arriving on a London double-decker bus for an Earthshot assembly together in June.”
The source adds: “They have a wonderful friendship and despite the few years apart, they have a LOT in common. Not everyone knows how it feels losing a very famous parent and William and Robert bonded over that mutual pain straight away.”
Inside their special bond
According to the insider, there’s a lot of heart in their friendship.
“As a dad to two young boys, his heart bleeds for Robert and he’s been honoured to step up in any way as a source of advice for him as he takes his first steps in his career.
“This bromance gives them both a chance to heal some of the pain they’ve endured and the mutual passions list is long – from sports to climate to wanting to save the world. William’s face always lights up when he gets a DM from Robert – they have a strange father-brother-son combo going on, but it’s something they both treasure and will protect at all costs.”
Their appearance on The Graham Norton Show
That easy dynamic was clear when the pair joined Graham Norton, Cate Blanchett and Hannah Waddingham on the show’s famous red sofa. The Prince of Wales showed off his cheeky sense of humour as the guests chatted about life in the spotlight and coming together for the Earthshot Prize.
Robert turned bashful when Graham flashed up photos from his Bonds campaign, which show him wearing just his underwear while draped in various snakes and spiders.
He explained that while it was an underwear commercial, he wanted to add a conservation element to it: “I believe in bringing the message to an audience that might not ordinarily be in the world,” he said.
When the conversation turned to milking spiders and Cate and Hannah got sidetracked, William seized his moment. “I’m still thinking about your python,” the Prince joked, sending Robert face-first into the sofa in hysterics.
What Robert says about his friendship with William
Speaking on their friendship in May 2025, Robert Irwin told Us Weekly, “I think Prince William has been such an amazing person to work with, and there is such an incredible synergy between what he does and who he is and who we are.”
He added, “It’s all about conservation. I think it’s wonderful that someone so influential – that has such a fantastic platform – is using that to really better our environment. He is a true environmental hero, and so working with him has been a great privilege.”
Common interests
The pair kicked off the 2024 Earthshot Prize together in Cape Town, South Africa in November, where they walked through a scenic overlook to address the need for urgent biodiversity conservation.
Robert and William were seen laughing and smiling with one another at the event, as well as having important conversations about the environment.
At the time he was a newly-appointed official Global Ambassador for the Earthshot Prize, and Robert said he was “honoured” to join the important initiative “to help place a brighter spotlight on the inspiring changemakers saving the planet.”
While in South Africa, Prince William also made a rather surprising cameo on Robert’s Instagram page.
“G’day, it’s Robert here, with, of course, Prince William,” Robert began the video. “Lovely to see you. How are you enjoying South Africa so far?”
“Good thanks, really good, having a lovely time so far, loving it,” Prince William responded. “Robert, you’ve been a fantastic ambassador for us at the moment, so looking forward to the Prize on Wednesday – tune in!”
Robert then went on to gush about how amazing the event was going to be, before asking a very important question: “We’re in South Africa, one of the most amazing countries and continents for wildlife – do you have a favourite African animal?”
The Prince of Wales jokingly quipped that it was a “really tough question,” before revealing, “My children ask me this regularly. I think it’s going to have to be the cheetah.”
“Cheetahs, OK. Very cool. It’s chameleons for me, the unsung hero, I love them,” Robert replied. “Thanks so much for having me, for having us, Earthshot Week has been amazing so far and I cannot wait for tomorrow night … South Africa rules!,” he concluded the video.
It wasn’t the first time Prince William and Robert Irwin had teamed up, as the wildlife warrior also attended the 2023 Earthshot Prize in Singapore.
“It’s hard to put into words just how massive Earthshot is for wildlife conservation, for climate action, for the world. For Prince William, who has such a great platform to lend his voice, his resources into creating positive change is such a refreshing, wonderful thing to see. I applaud what he is doing,” Robert told People Magazine ahead of the 2023 event.
We can’t wait to see many more wholesome moments between these unlikely friends in future!
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