What you need to know
Prince William is (virtually) in the ballroom!
The 43-year-old royal made a surprise appearance on Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday, November 11, to support Earthshot ambassador and current contestant Robert Irwin.
“Robert, we will miss you,” William, 43, said in a video message. “I need you here while your sparkling toes go away,” he said, turning to Irwin’s professional partner Witney Carson, “I need him to shine as much as possible.”
Carson then exclaimed, “I can’t believe he just said my name!”
Mr Irwin, 21, said he was dedicating the dance – a foxtrot to Leona Lewis’ 2007 song ‘Footprints in the Sand’ – to his sister Bindi, 27. “We’re doing this dance for Bindi, we’re doing this dance for Prince William, so let’s not mess it up!” he declared.
Bindi danced to the same song during her win on the season 21 show. Irwin said the song was special because Bindi had previously dedicated the song to her father, the late Steve Irwin. “It carries a lot of weight,” he said, adding, “Because I really hope this is our best dance ever, to be honest.”
Irwin explained during rehearsals that he was scheduled to come to Brazil with Prince William for the Earthshot Awards, but instead had to tell the prince he was “still here” for the competition. Irwin is the global ambassador for the Earthshot Prize, an environmental award awarded to five recipients each year.
Irwin has followed in the footsteps of his late father Steve in conservation work and now spearheads the efforts of Australia Zoo and Wildlife Warriors.
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“When we founded the Earthshot Prize in 2020, we set a ten-year goal: to make this decade a decade that changed the world for the better,” William said in his closing remarks at this year’s closing ceremony. “We set out to address environmental issues head-on and make real and lasting changes to protect life on Earth.
“This was a mission driven by the extraordinary optimism we felt from the innovators here tonight. Their work is the proof we need that progress is possible.”
