William and Sunak under fire for failing to organise Australia royal tour during World Cup
The Prince of Wales has been criticised for not attending the World Cup final in Sydney in person, with some suggesting the visit could have been incorporated into an official royal tour.
Prince William and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have come under fire for not organising an official royal tour of Australia to coincide with the 2023 World Cup.
The Prince, who is President of the Football Association, decided not to travel Down Under to watch the Lionesses face Spain in the final on Sunday, where England were beaten 1-0.
His choice was blasted by many as being unsupportive and unpatriotic, with former England footballer Sir Geoff Hurst saying: “A member of the Royal Family should definitely have gone.”
Daily Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer tweeted that William felt it would look bad to travel all the way to Australia, for the first time since 2014, simply for a football match, especially given his green credentials as founder of the Earthshot Prize.
However he then added: “Critics wonder why there wasn’t a royal tour, for him or the King, planned to coincide with the tournament.
Critics have asked why neither royals nor the government organised a tour Down Under (Image: Getty)
“Royal sources in turn insist that an invitation from the overseas realms and permission from the British government are needed for overseas visits. Might it be fair to say they all collectively took their eye off the ball?
“A quick video message or press release are no substitute for actually being there, in the eyes of many football fans who will not forget this in a hurry.”
After sending a message of support to Lionesses alongside his daughter Princess Charlotte, in which he said the team should be “proud” of their achievements, the Prince later shared commiserations following their defeat.
Prince William did not watch the World Cup final in person (Image: Getty)
“Your spirit and drive have inspired so many people and paved the way for generations to come. Thank you for the footballing memories.”
William and his family stayed at home to watch the game alongside millions of Brits, however King Charles and Queen Camilla appeared to skip the match to attend church at Balmoral.
Prince William is President of the FA (Image: Getty)
The royal couple were pictured driving to Crathie Kirk near their Scottish estate, arriving shortly before the start of the 11.30am service and leaving around an hour later.
This indicates they must have missed the bulk of the game, which kicked off 11am UK time and finished around 1pm.
A Palace source had said on Saturday: “Both Their Majesties will be following Sunday’s events with the greatest interest.”
