Long before state banquets and investitures, the heir to the throne had other plans. Appearing on BBC One’s The Graham Norton Show on Friday 23 October, Prince William admitted that as a young man he dreamed of being a policeman, and then of becoming a DJ, complete with a stage name: DJ Xara, spelt with an X.
From the beat to the decks
The confession came when Graham Norton asked whether he had ever imagined doing a job other than the one he was born into. The Prince of Wales said he once thought he “could make a good policeman” and found the idea “quite cool”. Then came a musical phase. He told the studio that he wanted to be a DJ, that it “didn’t go very well”, and that he had come up with a name for himself.
Fellow guest Hannah Waddingham was not impressed, calling the name rubbish, while Cate Blanchett wanted to know about the spelling. Asked whether he ever played at school parties, William replied that he never got that good, adding with a laugh that the whole idea rapidly became very uncool.
A surprise guest with a serious purpose
The Prince was not on the famous red sofa to launch a music career. His appearance was part of a special edition linked to the Earthshot Prize, the environmental award he founded in 2020 to support practical solutions to the planet’s biggest problems. He sat alongside Cate Blanchett, an Earthshot council member, Robert Irwin, a global ambassador for the prize, and Hannah Waddingham, who hosted the 2023 awards in Singapore. Vanity Fair Italia notes that he used the moment to frame the prize as a message of hope and optimism rather than doom.
His real working life did include a uniform, just not a police one. Before becoming a full-time royal, William served as a search and rescue pilot with the Royal Air Force and later flew air ambulance helicopters, a chapter that gave him years of ordinary shifts away from palace life.
Royal style, off the record
It is a charming reminder that even a future king has teenage daydreams, and it adds a little colour to a public image usually defined by tailored suits and polished shoes. For a refined finishing touch of your own, browse our men’s rings and men’s crossbody bags, or look to the royal family’s favourite blue with our sapphire rings and sapphire earrings.
Sources: Vanity Fair Italia, “Il principe William sognava di fare il DJ” (24 October 2026); BBC News, “Prince William reveals he once dreamed of being a DJ”; The Telegraph, “I called myself DJ Xara but I was never very good” (24 October 2026); E! News; The Independent. Featured image: AI-generated illustration.
