The Prince of Wales has made a surprise appearance on the Graham Norton Show, as part of a special edition to mark the Earthshot Prize.

During the episode, which airs on Friday, he joined Cate Blanchett, Robert Irwin and Hannah Waddingham, who are all involved with the prize.

As Norton spoke about the initiative with the trio he surprised the audience by then inviting the prince out to join them on the sofa, to cheers and gasps from the audience.

They discussed the need to pair optimism and urgency when tackling climate change. The prize was founded by William to “celebrate and scale the solutions that will repair our planet”.

The guests also chatted about William’s long-time support for Aston Villa, and his love of Christopher Nolan films.

William set up the Earthshot Prize in 2020, drawing inspiration from US President John F Kennedy’s Moonshot project, which challenged scientists to get astronauts to the Moon and back safely.

There are five Earthshots, or goals, for which an award is given: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World and Fix Our Climate. Each winner receives £1m.

The future king has committed himself to the prize until 2030. This year’s winners will be announced at a ceremony in Mumbai in November.

Last year, the ceremony for the prizes drew famous faces such as former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel and then-UK prime minister Keir Starmer. Pop stars Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes performed at the ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

The 2025 winners included Lagos Fashion Week, for “transforming one of the world’s most wasteful industries” by requiring designers to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability.

At last year’s ceremony, William said the winners were “proof that progress is possible”.

The Graham Norton Show is on BBC One at 22.40 Friday.