Prince William's surprising new 'best mate' reveals becoming friends wasn't on his 'bingo card' but it's such a 'privilege'
Robert Irwin, the 22-year-old son of the late Steve Irwin, has become firm friends with the future King
Prince William moves in royal circles and many of his closest friends come from his time at Eton College and St Andrews University. However, during the course of his work he's made a fair few celebrity connections too, including a surprising friendship with 22-year-old Robert Irwin.
Robert, whose late father was the famous conservationist Steve Irwin, recently appeared on ITV's This Morning where he spoke about the "privilege" of striking up an unlikely friendship with Prince William.
Hailing the future King as one of the “greatest environmentalists that we have on the planet”, Robert was also prompted by Ben to reveal more about the fact that he’s “become best mates with our future King”.
"This is a perfect example of what he's like, right?" Robert responded, "I was doing Dancing with the Stars in America, bringing the conservation mission to a very different audience. He FaceTimed me in rehearsals with my dance partner just to wish me well on all the dancing."
The 22-year-old went on, "They sit me down, and they go, 'Apparently, there's a really important call coming through.' And there he is on the laptop.
"There's Prince William. And I'm just like, 'Oh, hey, mate. Thank you so much. This is awesome.' So he is just a down to Earth human being and someone who knows the importance of conservation reaching different audiences."
Robert was the first to admit that the friendship had taken him by surprise, telling Ben that it "was not on [his] bingo card, but honestly, it’s such a privilege". The pair also share a dedicated approach to conservation and Robert was quick to share his admiration for the Prince of Wales's personal efforts.
"He is a passionate individual. When I am around other people who share that passion for conservation, it gets me so excited. And he truly is, I think, one of the greatest environmentalists that we have on the planet. He's amazing," he said.
Reflecting on their joint work, Robert continued, "His Royal Highness Prince William has become someone that I work with quite a lot through the Earthshot Prize, which is, of course, his amazing global initiative to award the biggest and brightest solutions in environmental issues."
Australian-born Robert Irwin was in the UK as part of London Climate Action Week 2026, where he joined William riding London’s 3000th electric bus. The dynamic duo “spent the day talking about climate change, and all sorts".
