Prince William meets the Lionesses at their training ground ahead of the Women’s World Cup
Prince William looked delighted as he met the England women’s football team at their training ground in Burton-upon-Trent today.
The Prince of Wales, 40, chatted with England stars ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
England, who won the European Championship in 2022, is the second favorite to win Down Under, and four-time champions USA are expected to take home the trophy.
William, who is president of the FA, chatted with superstar Barcelona right-back Lucy Bronze and her teammates, while also taking part in table football with the team.
The royal family previously said the team has an “exciting summer” ahead of them and praised the team for “achievement so much and inspired so many”.
Prince William looked delighted as he met the England women’s football team at their training ground in Burton-upon-Trent today
The Prince of Wales, 40, chatted with England stars ahead of the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand
Wiliam is seen arriving on the ground in Staffordshire, where he wished the lionesses luck
Last year, the Duke of Cambridge put on a heartfelt display when he presented the Lionesses with their trophy following their Euro 2022 win.
The royal family, who have met the team a number of times as president of the Football Association, gave captain Leah Williamson a hug, shared a joke with goalkeeper Mary Earps and seemed particularly familiar with longest-serving lioness Jill Scott.
William’s visit comes after men’s football legend Ian Wright slammed European broadcasters ahead of the upcoming Women’s World Cup, saying the failure to reach deals to show the tournament has led to a lack of publicity that ‘would never happen’ in the men’s game.
Speaking in the latest episode of his podcast Wrighty’s house speaking to guests Musa Okwonga and Ryan Hunn, the former Arsenal striker said he was surprised that with just six weeks until the tournament kicks off, there is little promotion for it across Europe as broadcasters and FIFA struggle to agree on TV rights.
Wright said England’s Lionesses, who lifted the Euros trophy at Wembley in front of 87,000 fans in 2022, had been denied sponsorship deals and that their ‘biggest moments’ were in the spotlight.
The tournament kicks off in Australia and New Zealand in 43 days, with the first matches on July 20.
Last month, the government called on FIFA, BBC and ITV to strike a deal after fears of a UK TV blackout were raised.
Footy-crazy! The Prince of Wales, who is known for his love of the sport, posed for a team photo with the team
During his visit, William presented an honorary CBE to England manager Sarina Wiegman (pictured)
At the meeting, the Prince of Wales presented a legacy cap to footballer Bethany England
The royal was seen talking to the players as he visited the team ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup
William sat between Captain Millie Bright and Lucy Bronze – who were enjoying lunch
The lionesses seemed delighted to chat with the future king at their training grounds
England, who won the European Championship in 2022, is second favorite to win Down Under, with four-time champions USA expected to take home the trophy
In the passionate outburst, Wright said some football fans in the UK were unaware the tournament was even going on due to the lack of publicity.
He said: ‘Whatever is going on with the broadcasters and FIFA. They need to sit down and resolve [it]. The Women’s World Cup can’t take place all over Europe, man.
“How can we not show up? This would never happen in the men’s game.
He continued, “Look how many opportunities these girls probably missed in terms of sponsorship deals leading up to it.
‘It doesn’t look good. You walk down the street and people don’t even know it [it’s happening].’