DURING a surprise visit to the England football team’s training facility before the World Cup, the Prince of Wales assured them, “The country is behind you.”
On November 29, Wales and England will play one another in Group B of the competition.
Prior to the team’s travel to the World Cup in Qatar, the Prince of Wales paid a visit to the England team at St. George’s Park.
On Monday night, William attended a secret team meeting and gave the players their jersey numbers.
William could be seen posing for photos with the players in video footage of the event.
“I’m actually here to point out that the rest of the country is behind you,” he said to the group.
“We are all rooting for you, enjoy it.”
The Prince of Wales admitted last week that it was difficult to support England since his aspirations were frequently shattered.
The euphoria that followed England’s inevitable loss, according to Prince William, “came tumbling down,” making the disappointment of being an England supporter difficult to bear.
But he referred to the England supporters as a “family within a family”
Along with England captain Harry Kane and midfielder Declan Rice, William was participating in a special episode of Games of Fives, an internet debate show about fan culture.
“You learn from playing a number of times, and many other things in life, that disappointment is part of life,” the Prince of Wales said in reference to being an England supporter.
“How you handle it is crucial. Handling some of those really disappointing England results in the past, that was hard. The same euphoria that we had good comes crashing down and whittles away.
“Suddenly normal life just gets back on again and it’s like, where did that all go? Was that real? How do I get that feeling back? Football has that ability to just put it all on a plate for you and then suddenly just take it all away and go until next time….”
The Prince of Wales claimed that he had gained important life lessons from his experiences supporting England.
“Quite a strong memory of early days was donning an England shirt and going down the pub with my mates and watching England play in big tournaments,” he said.
“When Wayne Rooney appeared on scene, that was a big moment for me growing up.
“There was something very powerful, really interesting about how Wayne played and the steel he brought to the England team.”
Prince William has already stated that his schedule prevented him from travelling to Qatar to support either England or Wales at the World Cup.
The Prince of Wales, who is also the president of the English FA, was unable to attend due to a full schedule, according to his household.
But they said that if England manager Gareth Southgate’s squad advances to the championship game, his office would consider making preparations.
Given Qatar’s human rights record and its criminalization of LGBTQ+ relationships, his appearance might have prompted criticism. The unpleasant question of whether he is there to support Wales or England, who play each other on November 29 in Group B, will also be avoided by his absence.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said the prince had no plans to attend the World Cup, which begins on November 20, adding “we hadn’t planned to go due to the busy winter schedule”.
Throughout the World Cup, he and the Princess of Wales do have a number of obligations, including a trip to Boston, Massachusetts, to present the Earthshot Prize on December 2.
He cheered on the England women’s team throughout their successful run in the Euro 2022 competition and gave the players their championship medals when they defeated Germany in the championship game at Wembley.
