Being a future king clearly comes with a few unusual privileges.
Prince William put one of those perks to an entertaining use yesterday, helping transform The Mall from a busy London thoroughfare into a temporary backyard cricket ground, with Buckingham Palace providing a spectacular setting.
The informal match featured the Prince of Wales and was staged to showcase sport’s ability to bring people together, while also building anticipation for the Earthshot Prize environmental awards, which will take place in Mumbai next month.
William shared the makeshift pitch with a host of cricket greats, including England Test captain Joe Root, former India captains Ajinkya Rahane and Sourav Ganguly, and West Indies icon Brian Lara.
The royal received a mixed but encouraging review: his batting was considered “pretty good,” while his bowling was deemed an area in need of improvement.
Root was equally impressed by the setting. “There are some wonderful backdrops in cricket, but none quite like Buckingham Palace,” he said.
England women’s captain Nat Sciver Brunt, England white-ball skipper Harry Brook and radio presenter Greg James were also among those taking part in the lively “Cricket on The Mall” event.
The Prince of Wales was joined by an array of cricket stars as the iconic Mall in central London was converted into a temporary cricket pitch.
The Prince of Wales reacts to a shot alongside Sir James Anderson during Earthshot’s “Cricket on the Mall” event.
William poses with England cricketer Joe Root during the event, which celebrated the longstanding relationship between India and England and their shared love of cricket.
Wearing navy chinos and brown suede trainers, William removed his fashionable shacket before stepping onto the improvised pitch. He played for roughly 10 minutes and appeared far more assured with the bat than the ball.
Root later praised the prince’s performance, saying: “His batting was pretty good, to be fair. I think he’s definitely a batter rather than a bowler, but he played some lovely shots. There’s a lot to work with there.”
He called The Mall a “challenging wicket” and described playing in front of Buckingham Palace as “a huge privilege.”
Lara also offered an optimistic assessment of William’s cricketing potential. “He underrates himself,” the former West Indies star said, noting that the prince is better known as a football fan and had admitted he did not know much about cricket.
“His bowling needs a lot of work, but his batting? I’d put him as the number six or number seven batter, definitely in the starting 11,” Lara added. He recalled William asking why he was standing beside Root and Brook after once scoring 400 runs against the two Englishmen many years ago.
Ganguly was similarly complimentary, although he joked that William currently had the advantage after he himself picked up a cricket bat for the first time in eight or nine years.
“He batted alright. He’s better than me at the moment,” Ganguly said, adding that India would warmly welcome the prince.
He also praised William’s approachable manner, describing him as “lovely natured,” friendly and down to earth as he smiled and greeted everyone around him.
Following the match, William mingled with spectators gathered along The Mall, stopping for selfies and exchanging handshakes during a brief walkabout.
The future king stepped up to the crease for an informal match organised by Backyard Cricket to mark the Earthshot Prize’s upcoming event in India.
Icons from both the UK and India joined him for a special event taking place in the lead-up to Earthshot’s annual Summit and Awards Night, taking place in Mumbai in November
The future King met with cricket stars and learnt about the work of Backyard Cricket, created by brothers Mark and James Wood
Inspired by President John F Kennedy’s Moonshot, with the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize is designed to mobilise a decade of action for the planet
Players were also joined by the team from Tailenders, including Greg James, Sir Jimmy Anderson and Issy Wong
West Indies legend Brian Lara was present, as was former Indian cricket captains Ajinkya Rahane and Sourav Ganguly, seen here speaking with the Prince of Wales
William appeared animated during the sporting fixture for the special Earthshot Prize Event in the capital
Founded by Prince William, The Earthshot Prize is the world’s most prestigious environmental award designed to identify, back and celebrate leadership in environmental action
Backyard Cricket UK is a massively popular, fast-growing crew that has taken the internet by storm
The future king posed for photographs with royal fans who had lined London’s Mall for the special event
Before leaving, Sciver-Bunt presented him with a cricket shirt for Princess Charlotte, a keen cricketer who plays on a team at Lambrook school.
Spectators on the Mall also included representatives from companies who are partnering with the environmental prize and guests who will attend the ceremony in November, which is set to be Earthshot’s biggest awards to date.
The game was organised by Backyard Cricket, the Yorkshire-based cricket crew founded by brothers Mark and James Wood, which aims to make cricket more accessible.
It’s unlikely that any backyard has so far proved to be quite as dramatic as the official residence of the British monarch.
The event on the Mall aimed to ‘celebrate the deep and enduring ties’ between India and the UK and ‘recognise the important role that sport can play in bringing people together and inspiring positive action’.
Root, wearing an Earthshot baseball cap, added: ‘It’s great to use the power of sport to show all the good things this initiative can do.’
Founded by William, The Earthshot Prize is the world’s most prestigious green award designed to identify and scale up groundbreaking innovations designed to combat the global environmental crisis.
Inspired by President John F Kennedy’s Moonshot, which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize is designed to mobilise a decade of action for the planet.
India is home to more Earthshot Prize winners and finalists than any other country in the world.
Founded by Prince William, The Earthshot Prize is the world’s most prestigious environmental award designed to identify, back and celebrate groundbreaking leadership in environmental action.
Backyard Cricket UK is a massively popular, fast-growing crew that has taken the internet by storm.
Based out of North Yorkshire, the crew focuses on making cricket accessible, highly nostalgic, and intensely entertaining by taking the sport back to its roots.
Backyard Cricket was created by brothers Mark and James Wood. They now have grown their team, the core recurring “Backyard Boys” line-up includes Mark (Captain), Archie, Drew, Joe, and James.
It comes after it was revealed that the Prince of Wales will join King Charles and Queen Camilla for a rare joint public engagement to mark the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, which claimed the lives of 116 schoolchildren and 28 adults.
The royals will travel to the small south Wales village next week to pay their respects to the 144 victims of the worst mining disaster in British history, and the community that has sought over the last six decades to heal.
They will visit on October 21, 60 years to the day a vast colliery waste tip collapsed onto Pantglas Junior School and neighbouring houses with such devastating loss of life.
