Prince William made a surprise appearance on Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday night to show his support for contestant Robert Irwin.
The Prince of Wales, 43, popped in unexpectedly during the 20th anniversary episode of the competition dance show to share a few words of encouragement with Irwin, an Earthshot Prize ambassador for William’s environmental initiative, which aims to find innovative solutions to repair and protect the planet.
Irwin, 21, told his dancing partner Witney Carson that he was supposed to be in Brazil for the Earthshot Prize awards in Rio de Janeiro on Nov. 5 but he had to tell William, “Sorry, I can’t make it. I’m still here.”
“We’re missing you, Robert,” William said in a video message. “Whilst your twinkle toes are going off elsewhere, I need you down here.”
William told Carson that she needs to “get him in as much glitter as you can.”
“Guys, you’ve got a seriously good chance of winning it,” William said during the FaceTime call. “So, just the best of luck on the show.”
“I can’t believe he just said my name,” Carson said.
Irwin went on to say that he was dedicating his foxtrot to Leona Lewis’s Footprints in the Sand to his sister, Bindi, 27.
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“We are doing this dance for Bindi, and we are doing this dance for Prince William, so let’s not mess this up,” he said.
Bindi had danced to the same song during her time on Season 21 of DWTS, which she won alongside professional dancer Derek Hough.
“A part of me healed that day. So now I hope that Robert gets that same experience,” Bindi said.
At the end of the number, Bindi joined her brother and Carson on stage and they wrapped their arms around each other’s shoulders before kneeling as scenes of their childhood with their late father, Steve Irwin, were projected onto the ballroom floor.
Irwin and Carson celebrated after receiving their perfect score of 40 for their dance to the song, honouring his late father.
Irwin shared the dance on Instagram, with the caption, “Tonight was healing. This dance was emotional, beautiful and so deeply meaningful. I carry Dad’s legacy with me in everything I do, and it was a privilege to dedicate our foxtrot to him.”
“Thank you @bindisueirwin for inspiring us with your freestyle to this song, and thank you @witneycarson for once again choreographing such a beautiful story through dance and for creating a space for me to convey raw emotions that I’ve never gotten to share before,” he continued.
“I’m a proud Wildlife Warrior, and I’ll always carry on my dad’s mission. I’m so grateful that I can do that in the ballroom.”
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