Prince William's alternate career plan was far from being heir to the royal throne. He reveals his top 2 unusual choices

Prince William may be preparing for his role in the future as king, but his career ambitions were once very different from that. The Prince of Wales has revealed that he once considered becoming a policeman and even tried imagining life as a DJ, complete with a stage name. However, his brief musical phase did not go quite as planned.

William ended up sharing these lesser-known details about his younger years during a surprise appearance on The Graham Norton Show, where he joined actors Cate Blanchett and Hannah Waddingham, along with Australian conservationist Robert Irwin.

Why Prince William called himself ‘DJ Xara’

On the topic of what he might have pursued if he had not been born into the royal family, William revealed that becoming a disc jockey was one of the careers he considered before eventually abandoning the idea. He even came up with a name for his imagined DJ identity, it was DJ Xara, with an X.


“I went through a phase where I wanted to be a DJ, which didn't go very well,” William said on the show. “And I came up with a name. I was called ‘DJ Xara’ with an X.”

The prince was candid about how little progress he made with the idea. When Graham Norton asked whether he had ever played at school parties, William replied, “No, I didn't, I never got that good.”

Waddingham was quick to poke fun at his chosen name, calling it “rubbish”. Blanchett also asked about the unusual spelling and whether a gesture William made while explaining it was one of his DJ moves.

William joked that he did not actually perform the move, adding that the idea had quickly lost its appeal to him. His ambitions behind the decks, it seems, never developed into a serious career.

Becoming a policeman was another ambition

DJing was not William's only alternative career choice as the Prince of Wales also revealed that he once thought becoming a policeman would suit him.

“Being a policeman, I thought was quite cool,” he said, agreeing with Norton that his height might have been an advantage in the job.

Prince William also spoke about films and family television

The Graham Norton Show appearance also gave William an opportunity to discuss his interests outside royal duties. He spoke enthusiastically about filmmaker Christopher Nolan, specially his The Dark Knight films.

“I'm a big fan of everything Christopher Nolan does. His films are fantastic,” William said, describing the films as psychologically dark and deep.

He also revealed that The Celebrity Traitors had become a favourite in his household, with his children, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, particularly enjoying the programme.

“I love it, the family love it,” he said. “Charlotte and Louis are obsessed with it. It's really good telly.”