Prince William’s secret audio bomb drops live and loud

Prince William gave BBC Radio 2 listeners an unexpected royal treat this morning when he dropped a surprise voicemail during the Scott Mills Breakfast Show catching both the host and his guest, Australian conservationist Robert Irwin, completely off guard.

Irwin was in the studio taking on the role of "resident wildlife expert," answering curious questions from young callers on everything from tiger teeth to the state of the global elephant population. 

Just as the segment was wrapping up, Mills teased one final message, telling Irwin he had “one more voicenote” to play.

What neither of them saw coming was a cheeky greeting from the Prince of Wales himself, who opened with a lively "Good morning, Scott or should I say G’day, Scott?" The  cameo sparked laughter in the studio.

In the unexpected message, the Prince praised Irwin as a "brilliant ambassador for the Earthshot Prize" and apologised for not being able to join the show in person. 

He then turned his attention to the host, extending a royal invitation to this year’s Earthshot Prize ceremony, set to take place in Rio de Janeiro this November. "It’s a fantastic event, great show," The Prince promised.

"Just beware, Scott, that Robert likes to pull random terrifying animals and creatures out of his pockets while he’s on anyone’s show and talking to them. 

So just watch your back at all times that a tarantula or something doesn’t suddenly pop onto your desk."

Irwin burst into laughter at the joke, clearly entertained by the royal prank. 

Earlier in the programme, the 20-year-old conservationist had been captivating young listeners with wildlife facts from the intricacies of tiger dentition to the scale of global elephant populations.

He also opened up about following in the footsteps of his late father, Steve Irwin, sharing his passion for preserving the natural world. 

The duo also touched on the differences between Australian and British wildlife, and Robert’s recent stint on Dancing With the Stars.