Anyone familiar with images of the Prince of Wales at football matches will know this is no passing interest. From the directors’ box at Villa Park, where he follows his cherished Aston Villa, to England fixtures at Wembley, William is frequently captured leaping to his feet, fist in the air, or celebrating wildly with those around him when a crucial goal goes in.
That visible devotion to the game has made his absence from the World Cup during the tournament’s first five weeks all the more noticeable.
The curiosity is heightened by his formal role as President of the Football Association, as well as by his father’s symbolic connection to the competition. King Charles alluded to that link with a light touch during an after-dinner speech at the White House in April, joking with US President Donald Trump about being among the tournament’s “hosts”. The monarch was referring to his position as Head of State of Canada, which is staging the World Cup jointly with Mexico and the United States.
A trip would not have offered William only the chance to support England. He could also have attended matches involving Scotland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand — nations that are all set to one day have him as King.
Other European royals have already made their way to the global football showcase, clearly conscious of the sport’s powerful place in national life and public sentiment.
Among them, Belgium’s King Philippe travelled to Los Angeles to see his country face Spain in the quarter-finals, while Sweden’s Prince Daniel and his son, Prince Oskar, were in New Jersey to cheer on Sweden during their knockout-stage clash with France.
As the couple arrived at the All England Club with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, William remained carefully two steps behind his wife.
The reason was clear: at Wimbledon, Catherine was the central royal presence as patron of the All England Club, while William took on the supporting role.
What William’s Wimbledon Gesture Revealed
While England had to make do with showbiz royalty in the form of Sir David and Lady Beckham at their quarter-final match against Norway, our opponents were represented by Prince William’s direct equivalent, Crown Prince Haakon, at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami last Saturday.
After returning to Oslo, Haakon endeared himself further to 100,000 fans who flocked to Royal Palace Square by rhythmically beating a ceremonial drum to welcome the team home as the players, led by Yorkshire-born Erling Haaland, performed their inspiring ‘Viking row’.
The reason that our heir to the throne has not yet felt the need to travel to the USA, Mexico or Canada is deeply revealing.
He is sufficiently confident in the support that he and his wife, Catherine, enjoy that he doesn’t consider it necessary to court popularity.
As he made clear to pop superstar Taylor Swift’s new husband, Travis Kelce, and his brother Jason on their podcast New Heights earlier this month, he would attend the World Cup only if England made it to the last game. ‘Definitely, if we’re in the finals,’ William said.
The future king preferred to be at home with his children as they ended the summer term at school. ‘It’s been an important time for the family, as George has finished at Lambrook,’ a friend of the family tells me.
William wanted to celebrate with Prince George as he completed his time at Lambrook school in Berkshire before he prepares to attend his father’s alma mater, Eton College, in September. George turns 13 next Wednesday.
An even more revealing insight into William’s character came at Wimbledon on Sunday when there was a little-noticed demonstration of his relationship with the Princess of Wales.
As they entered the All England club with George and Princess Charlotte, aged 11, William stayed strictly two steps behind his wife.
Prince William grins at the UEFA Europa League final, where Aston Villa beat SC Freiburg 3-0. Anyone who has seen photographs of the Prince of Wales watching football will know how passionate he is about the beautiful game.
Wills cheered on his beloved Aston Villa from the Directors’ Box at Villa Park during the Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest, punching the air with unrestrained delight.
William Is Happy to Let Kate Shine
When I caught sight of the couple, I couldn’t help but think back to Prince Philip and the way he would walk two steps behind Queen Elizabeth at public engagements. This was a deliberate way of making sure that the monarch was always in the foreground, taking the lead. It is hugely significant that William was happy to repeat this strategy even though he is the one who will be monarch, not his wife.
William did so because he was the supporting act at Wimbledon: Catherine is patron of the All England club, not him.
‘William doesn’t need to be the centre of attention,’ his friend says. ‘Not only that: he’s often happy NOT to be the centre of attention.’
It’s starkly different from the days when William’s father would resent his first wife, Diana, being centre stage. ‘He took it out on me – he was jealous,’ Diana said about Charles in recorded conversations with her voice coach, broadcast by Channel 4 in 2017. ‘I understood the jealousy, but I couldn’t explain that I didn’t ask for it.’
How refreshing that we now have an heir to the throne who celebrates his beautiful wife’s popularity and doesn’t resent her.
Watch: Has Princess Catherine SAVED the monarchy? | Palace Confidential
