A TV star who has worked with the royal opened up about him during an appearance on This Morning11:40, 24 Jun 2026Updated 11:40, 24 Jun 2026TV star and conservationist Robert Irwin has opened up about his friendship with Prince William.‌Robert, who is the son of late Australian 'Crocodile Hunter' Steve Irwin, is an ambassador for the royal's Earthshot Prize.‌He talked about their friendship on ITV's This Morning on Wednesday (June 24), after host Ben Shephard commented on how he had "become best mates with our future king".‌"His Royal Highness Prince William has become someone that I work with quite a lot through the Earthshot Prize, which is, of course, his amazing global initiative to award the biggest and brightest solutions in environmental issues," said Robert."And basically, it's about kind of looking at conservation and all of these big challenges through the lens of optimism, urgent optimism."‌"He is a passionate individual," he said. "When I am around other people who share that passion for conservation, it gets me so excited."And he truly is, I think, one of the greatest environmentalists that we have on the planet. He's amazing."Robert continued: "This is a perfect example of what he's like, right? I was doing Dancing with the Stars in America, bringing the conservation mission to a very different audience.‌"He FaceTimed me in rehearsals with my dance partner just to wish me well on all the dancing. He is just... I had no idea it was happening."They sit me down, and they go, 'Apparently, there's a really important call coming through.' And there he is on the laptop. There's Prince William. And I'm just like, 'Oh, hey, mate. Thank you so much. This is awesome'."‌"So he is just a down to Earth human being and someone who knows the importance of conservation reaching different audiences," he went on."Does that mean you've got his number in your phone?" asked Ben, with Robert quipping: "On speed dial."‌"Joining forces with Prince William with the Earthshot Prize was not on my bingo card," he said. "But honestly, it is such a privilege."Robert's dad Steve was a conservationist and environmentalist who ran Australia Zoo, which his family have continued to do.Article continues belowHe died in 2006 aged 44 after a stingray's barb pierced his chest as he was filming for a documentary on the Great Barrier Reef.This Morning airs at 10am on ITV on weekdays