‘He’s hallucinating!’: Prince William pokes fun at Radio 1 DJ Greg James as he jumps on the back of his tandem bike during Comic Relief challenge

The quick-witted Prince of Wales joked that BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James was ‘hallucinating’ as he surprised him by riding on the back of his tandem bike today.

William, 43, surprised BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James, 40, and hopped on the rear saddle for a 30-minute ride through the South Yorkshire countryside before informing the presenter that he had raised more than £1million for Comic Relief.

The radio presenter is currently five days into an extraordinary 1000km eight-day trek from Weymouth to Edinburgh to raise funds for the charity.

At one stage during their ride in the glorious sun, Greg and William were captured cycling past a group of children, prompting Greg to excitedly shout out: ‘Hi guys! It’s Prince William‘.

When he realised that the crowd may not have noticed or fully comprehended that Britain’s future King could be on the back of his bike, Greg joked: ‘They don’t believe it’.

‘It’s a lookalike!,’ quipped William, ‘They just think you’ve lost it. He’s hallucinating!’

Turning his head slightly to face the prince, the presenter was also captured asking: ‘Are you having a nice time so far?,’ to which William responded: ‘I’m having a great time’.

‘Okay, do you feel safe?,’ Greg queried. ‘I do,’ said William. ‘I think you’re in control’.

The hilarious moment between the prince and presenter delighted royal fans, who took to Instagram to praise the ‘amazing’ moment between the unlikely pair.

‘No pressure riding with the future King onboard!,’ quipped one royal fan, while another fondly described William as a ‘classy prince’.

‘Absolutely love this! Go Greg and Wills,’ shared another.

Prince William hopped on the rear saddle and joined Greg James for a 30-minute ride through the South Yorkshire countryside before informing the presenter that he had raised more than £1million for Comic Relief

Footage shared by BBC Radio 1 of the prince and Greg cycling in the sunshine delighted royal fans, who took to Instagram to praise the ‘amazing’ moment between the unlikely pair

Alongside providing Greg with some humour along the way, the prince also sought to provide him with some encouraging pedal power during such a gruelling part of the challenge.
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Seeking to encourage Greg, William told him: ‘What you’ve done is set an example about helping out. That’s the thing.’

He added: ‘What you’ve done is set an example about helping out. That’s the thing. It’s volunteering some of your time, putting yourself through a bit of pain at the same time, and supporting others.

‘It’s something we do very well in this country, but we don’t really shout about it enough.

‘This challenge helps everyone see that. And it’s an amazing team effort. Huge well done, Greg.’

The radio presenter is currently five days into an extraordinary 1000km eight-day trek from Weymouth to Edinburgh to raise funds for the charity ahead of Red Nose Day on March 20

The radio presenter later described finding the future King on the back of his tandem as an ‘incredible surprise’. ‘I’d joked when I recorded a recent radio show with him that he was very welcome to turn up and do a stint on the tandem but I didn’t think he’d actually call my bluff’.

The radio presenter later described finding the future King on the back of his tandem as an ‘incredible surprise’. ‘I’d joked when I recorded a recent radio show with him that he was very welcome to turn up and do a stint on the tandem but I didn’t think he’d actually call my bluff’.

The radio presenter later described finding the future King on the back of his tandem as an ‘incredible surprise’.

‘I’d joked when I recorded a recent radio show with him that he was very welcome to turn up and do a stint on the tandem but I didn’t think he’d actually call my bluff,’ he said.

‘Completely bizarre but so kind of him to spend some time amplifying our message of making sure we look after the most vulnerable people in society.

‘He didn’t have to jump on and stare at my back for 40 mins but I’m so grateful that he did. Unforgettable. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get back on my bike.’

Earlier this week, William sent Greg a letter to wish him luck with his challenge ahead of Red Nose Day on March 20.

The pair have previously worked together on a special episode of Radio 1’s Life Hacks to discuss the issues of male mental health and suicide, in collaboration with the National Suicide Prevention Network from The Royal Foundation.

In 2023, William shared a cheeky message with Greg on Instagram – insisting that he loves the Radio 1 DJ ‘really’, despite previously joking that he is ‘average’.

Throughout Greg James’s challenge, he has been cheered on by the likes of Vernon Kay, Sara Cox, Jo Whiley and Scott Mills, yet the future King of England was certainly unexpected.

Just one week before he was due to start his mammoth challenge, Greg’s father Alan suffered a stroke during a planned heart operation.

And as he completed day two of his cycle, Greg shared that he became emotional as he neared the finish line as he thought about his beloved father ‘big Al’.

He said: ‘I feel elated. I feel a bit overwhelmed by all these people who just turned up out of nowhere. I just burst into tears as I was going up to Blaenavon. It was all a bit much. And then I think Sam and Danny were playing Aperture, and it just got a bit much for me.

‘Just thought about… I just thought about everything. Just thought about my dad, thought about my mum. It got way too much. It’s so silly. It must have been the altitude.’