Prince William 'eager to bring Robert Irwin into royal fold' amid close friendship
The pair share the same passion for protecting the environment and wildlife
Prince William and Robert Irwin have struck up a surprising friendship, rooted in mutual respect and a shared passion for protecting the planet.
According to royal insiders, the Prince of Wales, 43, is not only thrilled to be working with the young Australian conservationist but is also eager to bring him “into the royal fold” in a more official capacity.
Prince William ‘wants Robert Irwin in royal fold’
“William thinks Robert has the charisma, work ethic, and heart to truly inspire the next generation,” a source told Star magazine.
According to the source, the prince has “talked about filming a wildlife special” with the young presenter to “help further their shared mission of conservation”.
Their working relationship already has royal approval. Robert, 21, was recently appointed an ambassador for William’s Earthshot Prize, a global environmental initiative launched by the prince through The Royal Foundation.
“William has always been a huge fan of the Irwin family,” the insider added. They noted that the prince admires how Robert and his sister Bindi have worked to carry on their late father, conservationist Steve Irwin’s legacy.
The insider reportedly then said: “There’s a real mutual respect and shared passion for conservation. He says the Irwins represent the kind of global, positive energy the monarchy needs more of, and he’s eager to bring them further into the royal fold.”
The admiration goes both ways.
During a BBC Radio 2 appearance in late June, Robert was the subject of a cheeky voice note from Prince William, warning host Scott Mills to “watch your back”, as he joked that Robert tends to pull “terrifying creatures out of his pockets”.
Laughing off the friendly jab in an interview with PEOPLE, Robert responded: “I haven’t just whipped out any tarantulas or anything. But to be honest, if there’s anyone who could handle it, it’s him. He’s been around wildlife from the time he was really, really young.”
Robert Irwin’s gushing comments about Prince of Wales
Robert also went on to praise the prince’s knowledge and enthusiasm for environmental causes.
That shared sense of purpose has led to meaningful collaboration. Robert spoke with William during London Climate Action Week and noted how engaged the royal was with Earthshot finalists like Notpla, a start-up using seaweed to fight plastic waste.
“You just see his face light up,” Robert told PEOPLE. “It’s this genuine sense of passion. I love that passion.”
He’s eager to bring them further into the royal fold.
The similarities between their paths are hard to ignore. Both men were raised in the public eye, shaped by the legacies of their parents, and driven by a desire to protect the world for future generations. Robert also sees parallels between his upbringing and William’s.
“There’s such a symmetry,” he reflected. “I was born and raised and grew up in a family business and a family environment, you know, creating this amazing empire of conservation and a positivity And there is such a symmetry in what Prince William, the environment that he grew up in, how he travelled so much from such a young age and got to see wildlife around the world.”
Robert is confident that the next generation will carry the torch.
Earthshot Prize Awards 2025
At a recent Earthshot event hosted by Bloomberg Philanthropies, William echoed this urgency.
“This is a decade of change,” he said. “By 2030, the Earthshot Prize in its current guise will cease to exist. You need to be involved now, because this won’t be around.”
The next Earthshot Prize awards will take place in Rio de Janeiro on November 5, and William is excited about bringing the ceremony to Brazil.
“I’ve always wanted to get to South America, particularly to Brazil,” he gushed. “This will have a strong Brazilian flavour. And we hope to be able to produce some South American solutions, hopefully some Brazilian ones too.”
The future of the planet, as both William and Robert Irwin make clear, lies in collaboration.
“No one person, no one thing can fix it,” William added. “It takes a village to raise a family. And if you take that into a concept, the planet, it takes all of us who are living on this planet to raise that planet and look after it.”
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Royal Insider has contacted reps for the Prince of Wales for comment.
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