Prince William’s Cheeky Graham Norton Joke Left Robert Irwin Mortified

Robert Irwin has wrangled crocodiles, won Dancing with the Stars and posed in his underwear with a python draped around his neck. None of that prepared him for Prince William bringing up the python on The Graham Norton Show.

It happened on Friday night’s episode, the one where William became the first working royal to sit on Graham’s famous red sofa. Graham had some photos to show, and Robert knew exactly which ones.

“Oh no, no, no,” he pleaded, The Nightly reported. Nobody listened. The pictures went up on the big screen, the audience cheered, and the 22-year-old turned roughly the same color as the couch.

Then the future King delivered a single line that sent Robert face-first into the cushions. The clip is further down, but the setup matters, starting with why a wildlife warrior was reviewing his own underwear ad next to the heir to the throne in the first place.

A Royal First On The Red Sofa

William’s appearance was kept secret until he walked out, to gasps and then cheers from the studio audience. It was a special Earthshot Prize edition of the show, built around the environmental award William launched in 2020, and everyone on the couch had a link to it.

Cate Blanchett sits on the Earthshot Prize Council. Hannah Waddingham, Rebecca herself from Ted Lasso, hosted the 2023 awards in Singapore. Robert was named one of the prize’s first global ambassadors in September 2024.

In between the climate talk, William turned out to be a natural. He confessed he once dreamed of being a DJ and even came up with a stage name, DJ Xara with an X. “It wasn’t good,” he admitted. Hannah agreed, calling it “rubbish.”

The night’s biggest laugh, though, came at Robert’s expense.

The Bonds Shoot Robert Can’t Escape

The photos in question come from Bonds, the Australian underwear brand. When Bonds launched in the US in April 2025 with its “Made for Down Under” campaign, Robert was the face of it, posing in his boxers alongside snakes, a spider and a lizard.

He was 21 at the time and told People it was an instant yes. As he saw it, he spends his whole life surrounded by snakes and spiders anyway. The only new part was doing it in his undies.

Gay fans noticed, in a big way. The campaign landed just as Robert was becoming a household name in America, and a few months later his shirtless salsa on DWTS sealed the deal.

Eighteen months on, Graham decided the campaign deserved a royal viewing.

“I’m Still Thinking About Your Python”

The first shot showed Robert sitting in a backyard in his Bonds, a python wrapped around his neck. According to The Nightly, William and Hannah had already led the room in a chant of “show them.”

“I can’t believe I’m looking at this with Prince William,” Robert said.

Another snake photo popped up. “That one’s a bit too much, that one,” William said.

Robert tried to steer things back to conservation. He explained that he’d wanted to “create a conservation element” for an underwear ad, then made his case: “But seriously, what matters to me is the snake in that image, you know? It’s the fact that wildlife was showcased.”

Cate wasn’t buying it. The same report says she made air quotes with her fingers and joked that she was “taking my snake for a walk.”

Then a third photo appeared, this time with an eight-legged co-star. “It’s a huntsman spider there on my shoulder,” Robert offered, as if that would help.

For a minute the chat drifted to spiders and Robert started to relax. That’s when William leaned in.

“I’m still thinking about your python.”

The studio erupted. Robert keeled over sideways and buried his face in the sofa.

Not Everyone Was Laughing

The moment took off over the weekend, and one upload of the clip on YouTube passed 2.4 million views in two days. Most viewers loved it, praising William’s comic timing and the looser side of a man who’s usually far more buttoned-up in public.

Some traditionalists, on the other hand, thought the joke was beneath a future King. “He is going to be King. We’re all doomed, doomed I say,” one viewer wrote, according to News24. Another asked whether William was trying to beat “the Sparkles,” a nickname for Harry and Meghan, “in a race to the gutter.”

Robert’s fans mostly enjoyed watching their favorite conservationist melt. As one put it: “Robert is always a treat. But to see William so comfortable playing into it is really great.”

A Bromance Two Years In The Making

The joke worked because these two clearly know each other well. Since Robert signed on with Earthshot, William has turned into one of his most enthusiastic cheerleaders.

Last November, William surprised everyone with a video call to Robert and his partner Witney Carson during Dancing with the Stars, teasing him as “twinkle toes.” Two weeks later, Robert and Witney won the whole season, after a run that also showed off Robert’s bad boy side.

Robert has returned the favor in his own way. A 12-foot saltwater crocodile on the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve now officially goes by Prince William.

Robert’s own Instagram post about the episode called it “an honour to share the couch with this incredible group for a hilarious and inspiring chat.”

He went on the show wanting people to talk about the snake. Thanks to the future King, they are.