Prince William Reveals Once Dreamed of DJ and Police Work
Prince William said on The Graham Norton Show that he once considered becoming a policeman and later wanted to work as a DJ under the name “DJ Xara”. His…
Prince William appeared on The Graham Norton Show in London and spoke about careers he imagined beyond royal life. He said he once thought becoming a policeman was “quite cool” before a later phase of wanting to be a DJ under the name “DJ Xara”.
The appearance also gave William a platform to discuss the Earthshot Prize, the climate initiative he founded in 2020. Its annual awards ceremony is scheduled to take place in Mumbai, India, on November 17.
William told host Graham Norton that he never became good enough to perform at a major event. Asked whether he had DJed at school parties, he replied: “No, I didn’t, I never got that good.”
“Being a policeman, I thought, was quite cool,” he said. “And then I went through a phase when I wanted to be a DJ, which didn’t go very well.”
The Prince of Wales joined Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham and Robert Irwin on the BBC show. The guests are involved with the Earthshot Prize. Waddingham, known for the television series Ted Lasso, told William his chosen stage name was “rubbish”. He did not disagree.
Irwin suggested William might instead have wanted to work with crocodiles. “If I’d met you earlier, I might have,” the prince replied. Blanchett also joked with him about whether he had dance moves to match the DJ name.
It was a rare appearance for William on a late-night talk show, which typically features performers discussing their latest work. The BBC special tied the conversation to the Earthshot Prize, while also touching on music and film.
William said he switches off from royal life through music and movies, and described himself as a fan of director Christopher Nolan. He praised Nolan’s films for combining unusual concepts with entertainment, and singled out The Dark Knight series as “psychologically dark and deep”.
Earthshot Prize and its environmental focus
William established the Earthshot Prize in 2020 to support environmental projects. The organisation raises money from sponsors and selects 15 finalists each year. It then names five winners, each receiving a £1 million grant, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Two Australian projects have made the longlist in recent years: the Indigenous Desert Alliance and the Quay Quarter Tower in Sydney. The prize’s model links recognition with funding, aiming to help selected projects expand their impact.
William said he wanted the initiative to offer a more optimistic account of environmental work. “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,” he told Norton.
He said the idea of an awards ceremony grew from wanting to pair urgency with optimism and highlight people working to protect the world. William has also announced an Earthshot Prize for children ahead of the annual awards in Mumbai.
The ceremony will select five winners from the 15 finalists, with each receiving a £1 million grant.
Source: smh.com.au
