Prince William names Christopher Nolan and The Traitors as favourites

By Elena Vasquez

Who joined Prince William on the sofa?

Prince William named Christopher Nolan movies and The Traitors as two personal favourites during a surprise appearance on The Graham Norton Show. The episode will air in the UK on Friday after a Thursday recording.

Four guests joined him on the famous red sofa. Cate Blanchett, Hannah Waddingham and conservationist Robert Irwin sat with him. Jorja Smith performed live before joining the sofa.

The programme identifies him as His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. Every guest that week is involved with the Earthshot Prize, which William spearheads.

The programme paired the prince’s personal interests with the Earthshot Prize, in which every guest is involved.

What does William value in film?

During his appearance, William told Norton that he switches off with “music and film.”

“I love getting immersed in deep-thinking films,” William told the talk-show host. “I like action films too, but I like something a bit different. I’m a big fan of everything Christopher Nolan does.

His films are fantastic – ‘The Dark Knight’ series is psychologically dark and deep and I absolutely love that. He takes concepts that are completely out there and makes them incredibly entertaining.”

William’s answer combined a preferred subject, a second genre and one named filmmaker, moving from deep thought to action before settling on Nolan and the psychologically dark ‘The Dark Knight’ series.

William’s film preference is specific: deep, dark Nolan films, with action still welcome.

What role does the Earthshot Prize play?

William shared some insight into the Earthshot Prize and his family life during the appearance. Audience members came to the stage to tell their funniest stories. William helped act as a judge.

The format moved from prize-related discussion to participatory television, with audience members taking the stage and William helping to judge the stories they told.

The Earthshot Prize supplied the episode’s common purpose, while the story contest supplied direct audience participation.

How does The Traitors fit into family life?

William watches the game show The Traitors with his two youngest children. They are Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

“I love it, the family love it. Charlotte and Louis are obsessed with it. It’s really good telly,” he said.

He continued with an anecdote about Celebrity Traitors contestant Ross Kemp.

“I saw [‘Celebrity Traitors’ contestant] Ross Kemp the day after the first episode and I couldn’t help but try – in the most appropriate way – to touch him to see what reaction I got from him. Turns out he was really jumpy!”

His answer moved from a two-child family viewing habit to a first-episode encounter with contestant Ross Kemp, complete with an attempted touch and a reported reaction.

William presented The Traitors as shared family entertainment rather than a solitary viewing choice.

What other jobs did he consider?

Asked whether he had considered another job, William answered with two possibilities.

“I did want to be a policeman when I was younger, I thought I could make a good one. And then I went through a phase of wanting to be a DJ – I wasn’t very good.”

His exchange treated his younger ambitions as passing thoughts, pairing his conviction that he could become a policeman with his frank admission that he was not very good as a DJ.

William used the answer to end on self-deprecation rather than career planning.

When the episode airs in the UK on Friday, it will connect those personal remarks with the Earthshot Prize and a guest lineup in which every guest is involved.