Prince William leaves 'jaws on the floor' after surprising Greg James on charity bike ride

'I didn't think he'd actually call my bluff' - Radio 1 DJ Greg James cycled with the Prince for around 30 minutes after a joke invite

Prince William, Prince of Wales visits the Francis Crick Institute at Francis Crick Institute on February 25, 2026
(Image credit: Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage via Getty)

When passing through the British countryside, one can always expect to see something noteworthy. Glorious fields. Untouched nature. The future King on the backseat of a tandem bike. OK, so one of those might seem like the odd one out, but it was a reality yesterday, when Prince William surprised BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James with a leg on his charity bike ride.

Prince William hopped on the backseat of Greg’s tandem bike and pedalled away for around 30 minutes, with the two cycling through the South Yorkshire countryside, starting just outside Doncaster. The radio host was joined by Prince William on day five of his eight-day mission.

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True to form, as well as walking the walk when it comes to giving back, Prince William also found time to showcase his sense of humour, telling confused passers-by that Greg James was actually "hallucinating". After getting used to the surprise himself, Greg was trying to alert people that his cycling mate was none other than the future King. Surprisingly, many found that hard to believe...

Realising onlookers weren't quite sure if Greg was telling the truth, Prince William joked, "It's a lookalike! He's hallucinating! They just think you've lost it".

After the surprise, Greg spoke to fellow Radio 1 hosts Sam MacGregor and Danni Diston, telling them, "I've got so many flies in my mouth because I've been cycling with my mouth wide open. All our jaws are on the floor from how mad that all was."

Commenting on his relief that he didn’t accidentally "kill the future King", Greg added, "That's the tightest I've grabbed the handlebars for the whole week".

He also praised William for going the extra mile to help with the charity and raising awareness of the challenge. Greg shared, "When he left, I just sat down quietly and thought, 'Fair play, he did not need to do that.' I'd joked when I recorded a recent radio show with him that he was very welcome to turn up and do a stint on the tandem but I didn't think he'd actually call my bluff."

"Completely bizarre but so kind of him to spend some time amplifying our message of making sure we look after the most vulnerable people in society," he continued.

Between their cardio and cracking jokes with one another, the Prince of Wales also found time to share words of encouragement and gratitude to Greg.

Prince William, Prince of Wales smiles during a visit to RAF Benson on October 15, 2025

(Image credit: Photo by Andrew Matthews - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

He told him, "What you’ve done is set an example about helping out. That’s the thing. It’s volunteering some of your time, putting yourself through a bit of pain at the same time, and supporting others.

"It’s something we do very well in this country, but we don’t really shout about it enough. This challenge helps everyone see that. And it’s an amazing team effort. Huge well done, Greg."

The Prince of Wales also revealed that Greg had already exceeded raising £1million for the charity and fans have absolutely gone mad for the unlikeliest bike ride.

One said on social media, "He’s up for everything! I can’t wait for William to be our King", whilst another wrote, "Honestly get that man on the throne!! How proud the whole of the UK will be to have him as our King!"

Jack Slater
Freelance writer

Jack Slater is not the Last Action Hero, but that's what comes up first when you Google him. Preferring a much more sedentary life, Jack gets his thrills by covering news, entertainment, celebrity, film and culture for woman&home, and other digital publications.


Having written for various print and online publications—ranging from national syndicates to niche magazines—Jack has written about nearly everything there is to write about, covering LGBTQ+ news, celebrity features, TV and film scoops, reviewing the latest theatre shows lighting up London’s West End and the most pressing of SEO based stories.

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