Prince William faces backlash for refusing trip to World cup final
Prince William was met with a public backlash when he refused to travel to Australia to support the Lionesses in the World Cup Final.
Prince William presenting the trophy at the 2022 Euros (Image: Getty)
Prince William faced a public backlash after refusing a trip to Australia to support England women in the World Cup Final.
A Daily Express online readers’ poll asked if the Prince of Wales should attend Sunday’s showdown with Spain. Some 57% said yes and 40% no with 3% undecided.
William is president of the Football Association and presented the victorious Lionesses with the trophy at last summer’s Euros, so is the obvious choice to represent England in Sydney.
But Buckingham Palace confirmed yesterday that no members of the Royal Family will be attending the game.
In contrast, Spain’s Queen Letizia and her younger daughter, Sofia, 16, are flying to Australia to cheer on their own national side.
Palace officials declined to say if King Charles had been invited to attend by the governments of co-hosts Australia and New Zealand, both led by prime ministers who want their countries to become republics.
Royal watchers have been surprised that in the first year of his reign the 74-year-old monarch has not visited a single one of the 14 overseas countries where he is also head of state.
In February, however, James Johnson, the chief executive of Football Australia, urged the King to go to the Women’s World Cup.
He said: “It would be fantastic. It would make a World Cup even more special.”
The heir to the throne has been on an extended summer holiday with his family since attending the Wimbledon men’s tennis final as his last official engagement on July 16, and argued that it did not make sense to fly across the world for a very short period of time.
He and the King both sent congratulatory messages to the England team after their 3-1 semi-final win over Australia on Wednesday and, seeking to maintain a balanced approach as representatives of the Australian monarchy, gave fulsome praise to the Matildas.
A senior royal aide said of the family: “Everyone will be watching on television. They are all very interested.”
But supporters of the monarchy in both England and Australia criticised the decision not to send anyone.
Royal commentator, Richard Fitzwilliams, says this is an ‘opportunity missed’ (Image: Getty)
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: “I think this is an opportunity missed. There really ought to be someone there from the Royal Family.”
He added “Nothing like this has happened since 1966 [when England men lifted the World Cup]. This is something that the whole nation will come together over.
“Prince William is the obvious choice as the president of the Football Association and it would be wonderful if the Princess of Wales could go too. The Waleses are the world’s most glamorous royal couple.
“It’s a long way to go but it’s a long way to go for an important reason.”
On Australia’s largest digital network for women, 9Honey, commentator Natalie Oliveri wrote: “If true, Prince William’s absence will be seen as a huge snub not only to his national team but the many Australian royal fans who’ve been waiting on a visit from the heir to the throne for at least three years.”
In fact, William has not visited Australia since 2014. There were reports that he and Kate were planning a trip in 2020 but it had to be scrapped because of the pandemic.
The Prince, 41, did not travel to Qatar to watch England men’s team in last year’s World Cup. But before Gareth Southgate’s side went out in the quarter-finals, sources close to William made it clear he would find a way to travel to the Middle East if they got through to the final.
Lionesses will take on Spain in the final on Sunday (Image: Getty)
His decision not to go to Australia risks opening up accusations of sexism. The Lionesses’s achievements have been hailed as a huge advance for women in general in this country.
Paul Jeater, a Green Party activist in Ingatestone, Essex, noted that William and Rishi Sunak had both declined to attend the final, leaving it to Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer.
He said: “Can’t help but think they’d be pulling out all the stops to be there if it was England’s men side.”
William and other members of the Royal Family are expected to gather at Balmoral over the next few weeks. The King, who has been at the Castle of May and then Birkhall, is expected to take up official residence at the Scottish estate on Monday.
One factor in William’s thinking may have been his work promoting ways of combatting climate change through his £50million Earthshot Prize for technological innovations.
Some royal watchers said he would have been criticised for flying across the world.
Queen Elizabeth II was at Wembley to see England win the World Cup in 1966 and many other foreign royals have attended football finals. At the last Women’s World Cup Final in 2019, King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands watched his national side lose 2-0 to the United States.
Analysis by Phil Dampier
The whole nation will be hoping the Lionesses can emulate the boys of ’66 and win the World Cup on Sunday.
But one notable football fan will be absent from the final in Sydney – Prince William, President of the FA.
I have no doubts that if Gareth Southgate’s team had made it to the men’s final in Qatar last year, William would have been there.
So why isn’t he grabbing a first class ticket Down Under to cheer on Sarina Wiegman’s brilliant players?
Both William and King Charles have sent “warmest congratulations” to the team, who will doubtless be treated to a Buckingham Palace reception and showered with honours if they beat Spain.
William, who has burnished his green credentials with the Earthshot Prize, would be open to criticism if he flew to the other side of the world for just one soccer match.
But using that argument you would never go anywhere!
Queen Letizia of Spain is expected to attend and I doubt she will be pilloried.
The problem is that nearly a year after Queen Elizabeth’s death, Charles has yet to visit any of the other 14 countries of which he is head of state. And palace courtiers probably fear William would upstage him by going to Australia first.
The King needs to be invited by host countries, but it’s well known many plan to ditch the monarchy.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is a committed republican but he is busy with the Indigenous Voice referendum on Aboriginal rights – a vote he is expected to lose. If he does, he may be reluctant to call another vote on the monarchy.
But surely Charles and Camilla need to visit sooner rather than later, or what is the point of them being King and Queen of Oz?
My fear is that after a great start, the King seems to be drifting a bit and not dealing with two problems – the future of the Commonwealth and his top-heavy number of homes.
The Commonwealth Heads of Government Conference in Samoa in October 2024 will provide an opportunity for a royal tour of Australia and New Zealand.
But that’s over a year away. And in the meantime, republicans won’t be resting.
Phil Dampier is a Royal author.
