Prince William should support Wales in World Cup says Fletcher

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Prince William is “between a rock and a hard place” for England’s World Cup showdown against Wales this evening, a royal expert has told Express.co.uk.

Prince William, an avid football fan, has spent many years as the head of the Football Association in England.

But, as of September, he took on a new role as the heir to the throne.

During his first televised address as monarch, King Charles III said he was “proud” to create his son and daughter-in-law, Kate, Prince and Princess of Wales.

King Charles, who was the longest-serving Prince of Wales, added he had “been so greatly privileged” to bear the title for more than 60 years.

But the new role presents Prince William with a quandary he must “navigate very carefully” this week, Express.co.uk has been told.

England’s squad, with whom Prince William spent considerable time ahead of their departure for Doha earlier this month, will battle Wales on Tuesday evening.

Royal Family branding expert, Professor Pauline Maclaran of Royal Holloway, University of London, commented: “Prince William is stuck between a rock and a hard place in relation to his support of either team tonight and he will have to navigate it very carefully.

“He has supported England all his life, so would be deemed hypocritical if he changed his allegiance now.

“And, of course, he is unlikely to do so in his role as president of the FA since 2006, never mind his own enthusiasm for the sport!”

But, any perception of Prince William failing to support the Welsh side would leave him “open to lots of criticism”.

This would be particularly poignant “in terms of a lack of identification with his new role”, according to Professor Maclaran.

The heir apparent will likely hope to “support both and acknowledge the two different hats he is wearing during tonight’s game – the Prince of Wales and President of the FA”, she added.

This is something he will look to do “with some humour”, without hiding the “dilemmas these put him in over the match”.

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In a private meeting at St George’s Park in Burton upon Trent, the prince met the 26 players and England manager Gareth Southgate before they boarded their flight to Qatar.

The Prince of Wales told the players: “I’m really here to point out that the rest of the country is behind you.

“We are all rooting for you, enjoy it.”

But Welsh actor Michael Sheen quickly hit back at the message of support, calling the move “entirely inappropriate” from the Prince of Wales.

He tweeted: “He can, of course, support whoever he likes and as President of FA his role makes visit understandable – but surely he sees holding the title Prince of Wales at same time is entirely inappropriate? Not a shred of embarrassment? Or sensitivity to the problem here?”

The following day, the Prince of Wales said he needed to “play carefully” with his “affiliations”, and that he was “supporting both” teams.

During a visit to Cardiff’s Senedd chamber, he remarked: “I’m telling everyone I’m supporting both, definitely. I can’t lose.

“I’ve supported England since I’ve been quite small, but I support Welsh rugby and that’s my kind of way of doing it.

“I happily support Wales over England in the rugby.”

He added: “I’ve got to be able to play carefully with my affiliations because I worry otherwise if I suddenly drop England to support Wales then that doesn’t look right for the sport either. So I can’t do that.”

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