How Prince William Knows Steve Irwin's Son, Robert

Prince William and Robert Irwin have one major thing in common, and it's that they want to save the world — through environmental conservation, that is. The son of "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin has been collaborating with the Prince of Wales on his Earthshot Prize, which tackles climate change at a global scale. 

Established by Prince William in 2020, the prize is a means to "search for and scale the most innovative solutions to the world's greatest environmental challenges," according to the official website. The efforts focus on five pillars of change: clean air, restore and protect nature, revive oceans, repair the climate, and reduce waste. In September 2024, Irwin accepted the role as one of the environmental award's global ambassadors, after working closely with the prince at the November 2023 Earthshot Prize awards.

In 2023, Irwin participated in the third annual Earthshot Prize ceremony in Singapore, where he presented one of the five £1 million awards. When asked to be a part of the awards, Irwin said: "It was this amazing golden opportunity to join forces with a real kindred spirit, someone who shares our family's goal and who's dedicated his life to helping conserve our planet." (via The Telegraph).

Robert Irwin has praised Prince William for introducing climate change reduction efforts into conventional discourse. "Instead of focusing on all the ways the world is suffering, finally it was an initiative that ... is a beacon of hope," Irwin said of the prince's approach to the issue. As a lifelong advocate like his father, Irwin said that joining the future king's conservation efforts allows him to "carry on my dad's legacy, the messages and the environmental causes he was so passionate about, in such a new and different way." 

Steve Irwin — a famous environmental conservationist himself, and TV personality — was killed by a stingray in September 2006 while filming in the Great Barrier Reef. His son was just shy of three years old. "And if he was around, I think he would be very, very, very passionate [about it] and be in a lot of passionate discussions with Prince William," Irwin said of his father.

In September 2024, Robert Irwin posted on Instagram to share the news of his ambassadorship with the Earthshot Prize. "My entire life has been centered around conservation, and continuing an important legacy that my dad and my family started. I have grown up around wildlife and wild places, and it's given me a real deep appreciation for the need to repair and restore our ecosystems," he said, adding that the award is synergetic to what he and his sister, Bindi, and his mother, Terri, do at their charity, Wildlife Warriors.

The Irwin family's longtime efforts for climate restoration do not go unnoticed, but they recognize how important Prince William is to their charge to make an impact worldwide. While speaking with Prince William to promote Discovery's "Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet," Irwin said that, like his dad, crocodiles are one of his main motivations for environmentalism. William loved that answer, remembering how much of a superfan Steve Irwin was of the animal. "The family trait has continued into the next generation, I'm sure," the prince joked, adding how proud he knows Irwin's father would be of him. "Your passion is only second to his."