Prince William joined actor Ross Kemp in Somerset on Tuesday to launch the National Emergencies Trust’s Ready Together toolkit, while playfully teasing the Celebrity Traitors star about his high-profile paranoia and refusing to give away show spoilers.
The Prince of Wales brought a dose of reality television humor to a serious community resilience event in Ilminster this week. Prince William mercilessly teased the ex-EastEnders star about his intense on-screen behavior during the second series of the hit BBC reality show The Celebrity Traitors. Kemp, 62, joined the royal in Somerset as an ambassador for the National Emergencies Trust, where William serves as patron.
During the engagement, the Prince of Wales wasted no time referencing viral moments from the show’s premiere week. Kemp went viral last week after expressing extreme paranoia about being murdered in plain sight. In the opening episodes, the documentary presenter suspected that singer Leigh-Anne Pinnock had murdered him simply by rubbing his arm.
Capitalizing on the moment, Prince William greeted the actor by placing his hand on Kemp’s arm and shoulder, asking with a smile, Am I allowed to touch you there?
Kemp laughed off the gesture, telling the royal, Yeah, I’m not going to freak out, not today.
Kemp later shared a photo of the encounter on Instagram, writing, Just because I am paranoid, doesn’t mean the Prince isn’t out to get me! An absolute honour to meet HRH Prince William.
The actor previously revealed that competing on the reality show proved more stressful than dodging bullets from the Taliban during his career filming war-zone documentaries.
Kemp is taking part in the show alongside 20 other contestants, competing to win a £100,000 prize pot for a charity of their choice. The program, presented by Claudia Winkleman, challenges players to detect the traitors among them while completing various tasks. Other notable names starring in this year’s second series include actors Richard E. Grant, Michael Sheen, Bella Ramsey, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Sebastian Croft, Sharon Rooney, and Myha’la. The celebrity lineup also features singers James Blunt and Leigh-Anne Pinnock, comedian and presenter Joe Lycett, comedians James Acaster, Joanne McNally, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, alongside models and broadcasters like Maya Jama, Jerry Hall, Amol Rajan, and Professor Hannah Fry. Viewers recently watched journalist Amol Rajan become the first Faithful to be murdered in the series.
Launching the Ready Together Toolkit in Ilminster
Beyond the television jokes, the royal visit carried a vital practical mission. Prince William and Kemp traveled to Somerset to launch Ready Together, a free online toolkit created by the National Emergencies Trust to help UK communities build resilience against extreme weather events such as floods and wildfires.
The town of Ilminster suffered severe flooding in recent years, including an incident nine years ago that inundated the home of 74-year-old visually impaired resident Tina Groves.
Mhairi Sharp, chief executive of the National Emergencies Trust, explained that while people readily help neighbors during crises, far fewer communities have structural plans in place beforehand. Ready Together seeks to bridge that gap by turning goodwill into practical preparedness. During the engagement, William also visited Sweet Surprise cafe on Ilminster High Street to meet community leaders, local business owners, and young people, and concluded his visit at Ilminster Fire Station to learn about wildfire mapping tools from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service firefighters.
Prince William and Catherine Enjoy the BBC Reality Format
The engagement also highlighted the widespread popularity of the BBC reality format. Prince William confirmed that he and Catherine, Princess of Wales, are both fans of the program. Last year, the prince told executive Stephen Lambert at Windsor Castle that his family was eagerly awaiting the series.
Surrounded by local teenagers from the Ilminster Under 16s football club, William joked about extracting inside information from the contestant. I’ll get Ross to tell me the answer about what happens,
the prince told the group. Spoiler alert today… he’s here.
Despite the royal interrogation, Kemp maintained absolute secrecy regarding the game’s outcome. When pressed by fans and the Prince of Wales alike, the actor offered only a firm reminder of his status in the castle: I am a faithful.
