Greg James shares emotional call with his mum where he tells her ‘to tell dad Prince William was on the back of the bike and I didn’t kill the future King’ after he admitted he’s been ‘masking his emotions’ over his father’s stroke

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Greg James recounted a heartwarming phone call with his mother, where he shared the news that Prince William had joined him for his Comic Relief bike ride. This happened while his father continues to recover in the hospital after suffering a stroke.

Greg James, the host of BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast Show, is cycling 1000 kilometers (621 miles) over eight days with a friend on a tandem bike. He received a surprise visit from Prince William on Tuesday, who announced Greg had already raised over £1 million for charity during the challenge.

A heartwarming video captures Greg calling his mother, Rosemary, to excitedly tell her that Prince William rode on the back of his bicycle. He playfully asked her to tell his father, Alan, that he hadn’t harmed the future King.

The radio personality shared that he had been hiding his feelings about his father’s illness while on the trek. He revealed on Friday that his father had a stroke during a scheduled heart procedure.

After finishing day five of his challenge, Greg excitedly told his mom that Prince William had unexpectedly joined him for a ride on the tandem bike.

His mother was shocked and exclaimed she hadn’t been watching, before Greg explained that the clip hadn’t been released yet.

You know, I was chatting with a DJ recently, and Rosemary mentioned she was heading to the hospital to see her father. The DJ immediately asked her to deliver a rather funny message! He insisted she tell her dad that Prince William was riding on the back of his motorcycle, and thankfully, everything went smoothly – no accidents and the future King is perfectly safe. He wanted to make sure his dad knew he hadn’t put royalty in danger! It was a lighthearted moment, but a sweet message to pass along, really.

‘I will, oh you amazing boy,’ Rosemary proudly replied.

Starting his fifth day of the challenging bike ride, Greg admitted he’d had some tough moments, even feeling like he wanted to cry. He especially missed having his parents there for support.

On Radio 1, he explained that someone had advised him to simply be honest about his feelings. He responded that he has been honest, and intends to continue being so, but added that he’s been able to balance those feelings with the happiness he’s experiencing, masking some of the difficulty with positivity.

Right now, those feelings are so strong they’re masking how awful I really feel – not just about my body, but also about being so down lately.

Despite feeling a bit sad, I’m really happy that everyone is being so supportive and positive, and it’s helping me feel much better.

I really feel like I need to have a good cry, but the incredible support and generous donations everyone has shown me are keeping me from doing that. I’m so grateful, it’s lifting my spirits even when I feel down.

I’m really missing both of my parents, and I wished I could have been with them this week. But being here felt even more important.

Prince William playfully teased DJ Greg James after surprising him during a charity challenge on Tuesday, suggesting Greg was imagining things when he realized they were riding on a tandem bike together.

Forty-three-year-old William unexpectedly jumped onto the back of Greg’s bike and rode with him for half an hour through the South Yorkshire countryside. He then revealed he’d raised over £1 million for Comic Relief.

I’m following an incredible story right now – a radio presenter is tackling a massive 1000km walk, all the way from Weymouth to Edinburgh! It’s an eight-day challenge, and they’re doing it to raise money for a fantastic charity. They’re already five days in, so they’re really pushing themselves! It’s so inspiring to see people dedicate themselves to a cause like this.

While enjoying a sunny bike ride, Greg and William cycled past some children, and Greg playfully called out, ‘Hi everyone! It’s Prince William!’

Realizing the crowd might not have recognized Prince William was riding on his bike, Greg playfully said, ‘They can’t believe it!’

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

The presenter turned slightly towards Prince William and asked if he was enjoying himself. William replied, saying he was having a great time.

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

Royal watchers loved a funny exchange between the prince and the presenter, and many shared their praise for the charming interaction on Instagram.

One royal fan joked that there was ‘no pressure’ when cycling with Prince William, while another called him a ‘classy prince’.

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

The prince not only wanted to cheer Greg up, but also give him a boost of encouragement during a particularly tough part of the competition.

William tried to cheer Greg up by saying, ‘You’ve really shown everyone the importance of lending a hand, and that’s what matters.’

He explained that their actions demonstrated the importance of helping others. It’s about giving your time, pushing yourself a little, and being there for those who need support.

‘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 host was really surprised to find the future King riding on the back of a tandem bicycle, as they later explained.

He said he’d jokingly offered a guest a chance to ride on the tandem bike during a recent radio show, not expecting the offer to be taken seriously. ‘I didn’t think he’d actually take me up on it,’ he explained.

It was really strange, but incredibly thoughtful of him to help spread our message about caring for those most in need.

It was a bit much that he watched me for forty minutes, but I’m truly thankful he did. It’s a moment I’ll never forget. Alright, I need to get going – back on my bike now!

William wrote to Greg earlier this week, sending him good wishes for his Red Nose Day challenge on March 20th.

They’ve collaborated before, appearing on a Radio 1 Life Hacks episode to talk about men’s mental health and suicide prevention, working alongside The Royal Foundation’s National Suicide Prevention Network.

William playfully messaged Greg on Instagram in 2023, jokingly calling back an earlier comment where he’d called Greg ‘average’ – but assuring him he truly does like him.

Greg James has received support from many familiar faces during his challenge, including Vernon Kay, Sara Cox, Jo Whiley, and Scott Mills, but a message from Prince William was a surprising and welcome addition.

Only a week before Greg was set to begin his big adventure, his father, Alan, had a stroke while undergoing a scheduled heart procedure.

On the second day of his bike ride, Greg became tearful as he approached the finish line, remembering his father, whom he affectionately called ‘Big Al’.

I was incredibly happy, but also a little overwhelmed by the unexpected crowd. I started crying on the way to Blaenavon – it was just all too much to handle. Then, watching Sam and Danny play Aperture just pushed me over the edge.

I was just lost in thought, thinking about everything – my dad, my mom… It became overwhelming. It’s probably just a silly reaction to the high altitude.

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2026-03-17 23:05