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Prince William’s Surprise TV Cameo Has People Pointing Out The Royal Double Standards

Prince William recently dipped his toe in the world of reality TV — a surprise cameo on 'Dancing with the Stars.'

Prince William recently dipped his toe in the world of reality TV — a surprise cameo on one of America’s biggest entertainment shows, Dancing with the Stars. His unexpected appearance created a frenzy on the internet, sparking a debate on the royal double standards.

During Tuesday’s episode, the Prince of Wales appeared via video link to cheer on Robert Irwin, the 21-year-old conservationist and son of the late Steve Irwin. The message was pre-recorded, but William seemed relaxed, calling Irwin 'twinkle toes' and praising him for tackling a world far removed from wildlife work.  

For the unversed, Irwin is a global ambassador for the Earthshot Prize, William’s flagship environmental project. He was originally scheduled to attend this year’s Earthshot ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on 5 November, a key moment in the prize’s calendar, but remained in the United States to continue competing on the show. William didn’t hide his disappointment. “We’re missing you, Robert. Whilst your ‘twinkle toes’ are going off elsewhere, I need you down here,” he said teasingly. Judges later handed Irwin and partner Witney Carson a perfect score for their Foxtrot to Leona Lewis’ Footprints in the Sand, a routine that earned them one of the night’s biggest reactions.

The reaction online wasn’t just about the cameo itself; many viewers turned their attention to the contrasting standards applied to different royals. On Reddit, a netizen slammed, “It's telling how the media attacks Harry and Meghan for associating with celebrities but they are silent when the rest of the royal family does.” The comment was a reference to the backlash the Sussexes faced when pictures of them attending Kris Jenner's star-studded birthday bash went viral.

In a similar vein, another joked that William was simply copying his brother: “He just wanted to try to be like Harry. Lol, utter fail again.” In perhaps the sharpest critique, a Reddit user noted the hypocrisy and said, “Imagine the headlines if Harry and Meghan made an appearance on DWTS. They would be accused of attention seeking and mocked for ‘how far they’ve fallen’ to stoop to a reality dance show. But when Willy does it, suddenly it’s great.”