So should he stay or should he go? As England’s footballers prepare for their first World Cup final in almost sixty years, tactics have been put on the back burner while a far more heated debate takes place. Never mind who lines up on the pitch for the match against Spain – will Prince William be watching pitch side?
OK, not actually pitch side, from the royal box. After England made it to the final of the World Cup questions were asked about whether the Prince of Wales, President of the Football Association, would be travelling to Sydney for the game.
Initially, the discussions centred around whether the almost 24 hour trip was practical. Could a prince who is known for his environmental campaigning justify flying tens of thousands of miles twice over in a matter of days for a football match? However, William is equally known for his support of football, especially at grass roots level, and this is the first football World Cup final since 1966 for England. History beckons – should the future king be there to show support?
Then came the curveball. The Queen of Spain confirmed she’d be there to cheer on La Roja and everything changed. If Letizia can manage it, the chorus began, why can’t William? What’s more, Spain’s queen is taking her younger daughter, Infanta Sofia, along for the final, too. The discussion about the football supporting prince suddenly turned into a right royal row.
While William remains the focus, given his passion for the sport and his high profile role at the Football Association, the debate has developed and now just about anyone with anything to do with the Windsors faces questions about why they are not in Sydney.
For those who see this as another misstep by the royals being out of touch, nothing short of the whole family turning up to the final in England shirts while singing ‘It’s Coming Home’ for the entire match will do. Edward and Sophie in the fanzone, Anne and Tim buying beers all round and Prince Michael of Kent making a cameo in the Baddiel/ Skinner remix, version 7654, is the bare minimum now and even then, it’s questionable whether the critics would be happy.
Yet, we have no idea of whey the Prince of Wales isn’t planning to be there and perhaps that’s the biggest problem for the royals in this row. Vacuums allow vagueness to thrive. Can the heir to the throne visit one of his father’s realms in the early parts of his reign before the Monarch himself has been? Does William need to be in the UK at this point for constitutional reasons such as acting as a Counsellor of State? The answers to those questions are just as unknown as those to other demands such as ”is he on holiday” and ”would he be going if this was the men?”
And there’s the rub for the royals. In this social media age, anyone can say anything and it can stick. It will pass, too, probably just as quickly as another angry argument breaks out about something else.
In the meantime, England is hoping football’s coming home while it appears that is precisely where the heir to the throne is staying to watch the match. So over to you – should Prince William stay or should he go?
