The Dancing With the Stars cast, crew, and audience were shocked when Prince William made an appearance on the 20th anniversary episode in support of wildlife conservationist Robert Irwin.
A royal message:
The Prince of Wales stunned viewers when he appeared on DWTS via a video chat with Robert and Witney Carson. William surprised Robert and said he missed him, jokingly calling him “twinkle toes.”
Robert asked Prince William how the Earthshot Prize ceremony that took place in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil went. The DWTS showstopper was supposed to join the royal at the event, but had to cancel due to his still being in the running for the Len Goodman Mirror Ball Trophy.
“I need you down here,” William said with a smile.” But he knows Robert is a frontrunner and needs to finish what he started in the ballroom. “You guys have got a serious good chance of winning,” declared the Prince. “Best of luck on the show.”
After Prince William hung up, Whitney was gobsmacked that they chatted with the future King of England on video. “I can’t believe he just said my name!”
Irwin added, “Let’s not mess this up!”
Prince William and Robert Irwin’s mission:
Robert is an ambassador for the Earthshot prize, a global environmental award founded by William to find and fund solutions to the world’s greatest environmental challenges.
In June, William surprised Irwin with a voice note during the 21-year-old conservationist’s appearance on UK radio station Radio 2. “I know you’ve got the fantastic Robert Irwin on the show this morning, a brilliant ambassador for the Earthshot Prize.”
During Tuesday’s episode of DWTS, Robert performed a Foxtrot to Footprints in the Sand by Leona Lewis. He and Witney received their first perfect score of the season for the emotional performance, which was in part dedicated to his late father, Steve Irwin.
