Prince William and Robert Irwin are the unlikely duo we never knew we needed.
They share a common interest: protecting the planet, and they first joined forces in 2023 for the Earthshot Prize to acknowledge and celebrate those on a mission to create solutions to the planet’s biggest environmental challenges.
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.
As a newly-appointed official Global Ambassador for the Earthshot Prize, 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!
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