Prince William has seen Robert Irwin’s underwear photos. More importantly, he has thoughts.
On the Oct. 23 episode of The Graham Norton Show on BBC One, Irwin’s Bonds campaign went up on the big screen. There he was in his briefs, with a snake wrapped around him, while the real-life Irwin sat on the sofa with the heir to the British throne, Cate Blanchett and Hannah Waddingham.
“I can’t believe I’m looking at this with Prince William,” Irwin said.
The conservationist tried to explain the animals’ role in the shoot. A little later, after the conversation had moved on to a picture with a spider, William brought everyone back to the snake.
“I’m still thinking about your python,” he said.
Irwin buried his face in the red sofa. Which, fair.
Robert Irwin’s conservation explanation met a royal punchline
Irwin had a point he wanted to make about the photographs. The campaign was an underwear ad, obviously, but it also put wildlife in front of an audience that might not normally seek it out.
“But seriously, what matters to me is the snake in that image,” he told Norton.
Sure, Robert. The snake.
Norton then turned to a photograph with a huntsman spider on Irwin’s shoulder. William identified the animal, Irwin explained that it was venomous, and the prince delivered his python callback. Irwin folded forward as the audience cheered.
The timing is the joke: Irwin is still trying to talk about wildlife while William is quite happy to let the double meaning hang there. Graeme O’Neil’s recap includes footage of the exchange, interspersed with his commentary.
A refresher on Robert Irwin’s Bonds campaign
The photos date to April 2025, when Bonds unveiled Irwin’s underwear campaign. Snakes and a spider featured alongside the Australian conservationist. Gayety covered the launch, including the attention those pictures were getting from gay fans.
A year and a half on, the photos have reached the royal sofa. There can’t be many underwear campaigns getting this much mileage out of a snake.
Irwin has been busy in the meantime. He and Witney Carson won Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars in November 2025, a decade after his sister Bindi’s win. During that season, he also received flowers from Jonathan Bailey after his Wicked-inspired routine. That celebrity surprise was rather easier to recover from.
Why William and Irwin were on Graham Norton together
The two share a conservation connection. Irwin became a global ambassador for the Earthshot Prize in September 2024, joining South African actor Nomzamo Mbatha as the organization launched its ambassador program. William founded the environmental prize.
William’s appearance came ahead of the next Earthshot awards ceremony in Mumbai on Nov. 17. Five winners will each receive £1 million to develop their environmental projects.
So picture it. You’ve come on a chat show to discuss environmental work, and now you’re explaining your underwear ad to the man who founded the prize you represent. Irwin did his best. Norton’s sofa has defeated plenty of guests before him.
William had a few confessions of his own
According to The Nightly’s account of the episode, William also discussed his 2024 Eras Tour selfie with Taylor Swift. He had been trying to get a picture with Swift and his children, while Travis Kelce kept entering the frame.
“Travis kept coming back in, and I couldn’t work out why he kept coming back in,” William said.
He also admitted that he once wanted to be a DJ. “I came up with a name, I was called DJ Xara with an X, it wasn’t good,” he told Norton. He then had to explain where the X went. At the front, apparently.
The show’s official clip is below. Watch for Waddingham’s reaction to the name. After everything Irwin had just been through, it seems only fair that William should have an embarrassing story to explain, too.
