STAR POWER

Senior Royal Crashes ‘Dancing With The Stars’

The future king delivered a message to his friend about his “twinkletoes.”

Prince William crash-called into Dancing with the Stars with a 30-second pep talk to Robert Irwin, the 21-year-old son of the late Steve Irwin and an ambassador for the royal’s environmental initiative, Earthshot. William’s cameo message was screened just before Irwin and pro partner Witney Carson floated through a Foxtrot (that scored perfect 10s). William joked, “We’re missing you, Robert. Whilst your ‘twinkletoes’ are going off elsewhere, I need you down here.” The cameo, filmed ahead of last week’s Earthshot Awards in Rio, was the final act of year five of Earthshot, which doubled down on celebrity. Kylie Minogue and Shawn Mendes performed; Tom Cruise appeared by video, called William a “dear friend,” and thanked finalists for proving what happens “when commitment meets purpose.” Earthshot is due to run for a 10-year cycle, awarding five £1 million ($1.3m) prizes annually across clean air, oceans, waste, climate, and nature. William has sought to maintain momentum for the prize despite cacophonous palace noise (hello, Uncle Andrew) threatening to drown out the message.

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