Prince William Cheers On Robert Irwin During DWTS

Dancing with the Stars competitor Robert Irwin and Prince William had a virtual chat during the November 11 anniversary episode of the ABC talent show. Of course, both of them share a love for wildlife and nature conservation. Read on for more details.

The Virtual Appearance

According to a report from E! News on Tuesday night, Prince William made a surprise virtual appearance on an episode of Dancing with the Stars. 

The report detailed how Robert Irwin, a contestant on the ballroom competition, had to miss the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Rio because he is still competing for “the Mirrorball Trophy” in the United States. Since Robert couldn’t attend, the Prince of Wales joined via video call to wish him well.

Thrilled By The Call

Robert seemed visibly thrilled when he saw Prince William on the screen, exclaiming, “My god.” However, he soon caught himself and started relaxing a bit. Quickly, he composed himself and asked, “How was Rio?” Of course, most people know William’s been busy with his Earthshot initiative there.

Prince William replied, “It’s going really well. The finalists this year are really going to go on and save the world.” He added, “We’re missing you, Robert. Whilst your twinkle toes are going off elsewhere, I need you down here.” But, he opined, “You guys have got a seriously good chance of winning it. So, just the best of luck on the show.”

To that, Robert answered, “That means the absolute world. Thank you so much.”

They Met Before

Actually, the duo met before in real life. In fact, Robert, the son of the late Steve Irwin, met up with the royal more than once. Per People, last year, this year’s Dancing with the Stars competitor was appointed a global ambassador for Earthshot. Another person recognized was Nomzamo Mbatha. Plus, Robert was alongside William in Cape Town, South Africa in 2024.

Clearly, the two men respect and admire each other. While Steve Irwin became famous for his crocodile conservation before his death, his young son, now 21, has continued his legacy. So, the rapport with a world-leading conservationist seems unsurprising.

The DWTS Competition

What does seem rather more surprising is how well Robert dances with Witney Carson. In fact, on the evening that the prince called him up, Robert and Whitney did so well. They survived to go through to the next round on Nov. 18 after performing a stunning foxtrot. For the first time, they scored some 10s.

Fans React

In the comments of the video, many DWTS and royal family fans reacted. One of them wrote:

Prince William is very kind. Robert is from a Commonwealth country [and] opened doors for Robert to move conservation forward on a global scale…The Earthshot prize has mindboggling winners and projects. Robert and his family are a special part of that.

Here are a few more responses from the discussion area:

• Absolutely love this! What a great way to promote The Earthshot Prize!
• I want prince william next on the dance floor and Meghan markle too.
• So awesome!

What are your thoughts? Did you love the crossover between the prince and the DWTS competitor? Let us know in the comments below, and come back here often for all your royal family and celebrity news and updates.