Prince William reveals his childhood ambition to become a DJ, discusses family life and films, and promotes the Earthshot Prize on the BBC
Britain’s Prince William has revealed that he once dreamed of becoming a disc jockey before recognising that his future would be shaped by his responsibilities as a member of the Royal Family.
The Prince of Wales made the revelation during an appearance on the BBC’s ‘The Graham Norton Show’ on Friday, where he discussed his childhood ambitions, family life and interest in films while promoting the Earthshot Prize.
William said he had also considered becoming a police officer when he was younger, believing he might be well suited to the job.
“I did want to be a policeman when I was younger, I thought I could make a good one. And then I went through a phase of wanting to be a DJ — I wasn’t very good,” he said, according to Reuters.
The 44-year-old royal also spoke about his admiration for filmmaker Christopher Nolan, singling out the director’s ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy for praise.
“I’m a big fan of everything Christopher Nolan does. His films are fantastic — ‘The Dark Knight’ series is psychologically dark and deep and I absolutely love that,” William said.
“He takes concepts that are completely out there and makes them incredibly entertaining,” he added.
According to Reuters, William also revealed that he and his family enjoy watching the reality television programme ‘The Celebrity Traitors’. He described music and films as interests that help him relax.
The appearance placed the prince alongside actors Cate Blanchett and Hannah Waddingham, as well as conservationist Robert Irwin, on the popular BBC programme.
William appeared on the show to promote the Earthshot Prize, an environmental initiative he established in 2021 to recognise and support solutions to pressing environmental challenges.
The annual awards provide £1m to each of five winners developing innovations designed to address environmental problems.
Explaining the thinking behind the initiative, William said he had been troubled by the pessimism surrounding discussions about environmental issues and wanted to encourage a more optimistic approach.
“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 said.
“I thought we could do something more powerful and more optimistic and the idea of an awards’ ceremony came about and we could talk about urgency and optimism together,” he added.
“There are some amazing people out there doing things to protect the world.”
The 2026 Earthshot Prize ceremony is scheduled to take place in Mumbai, India, next month.
The initiative seeks to spotlight practical environmental solutions and encourage wider support for innovations that can help protect the planet.
