Prince William was asked whether the Princess of Wales had joined him in Saudi Arabia as he took part in a football training session with young female players during the second day of his official visit.
The Prince of Wales was speaking with girls aged between 10 and 15 at MISK Sports City in Riyadh when one of the players asked: “Did Princess Kate come with you?”
The prince replied that she had not, prompting a brief expression of disappointment from the group.
He was then encouraged to bring his family on a future visit, responding: “They would love it here. Will you show them how to play football? My children love football, but you guys are another level.
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“I can see you guys will be at the World Cup very soon, and then you’re going to make me feel very old.”
The exchange came as William joined a training session designed to showcase the growth of women’s football in Saudi Arabia.
He was accompanied by Saudi Minister of Sport Prince Abdulaziz and Lamia Bahaian, Vice President of the Saudi Arabian Football Federation and a member of FIFA’s Women’s Club Competitions Committee.
William was invited to take part in a crossbar challenge, but instead scored with all three attempts.
Prince William leaves Saudi footballers disappointed as Princess of Wales stays at home
|GETTY
Speaking to the players, he said: “This is my first time in Saudi Arabia. Have any of you ever been to the UK? You know the weather’s different – cold and rainy, but you have the sunshine here all the time. Good luck with the football, keep practising, and we’ll see you in the World Cup.”
As he left the pitch, a broadcast journalist called out a question referencing the Andrew and Epstein scandal, asking: “Sir, to what extent do you think the Royal Family has done enough around the Andrew and Epstein scandal?”
It was unclear whether the prince heard the question, and he continued his engagement without responding.
The question followed statements issued earlier by Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace addressing the fallout from the Epstein revelations.
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William spoke with young Saudi girls playing football during his visit | PAA Kensington Palace spokesman told GB News: “I can confirm that the Prince and Princess of Wales have been deeply concerned by the continued revelations.
“Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.”
During the visit, the prince was presented with a Saudi national football shirt, along with smaller shirts for his children George, Charlotte and Louis, each bearing their names.
He later told officials: “My children love sport, so the more they can get involved and get more active, the better.”
William also spoke at length with Ms Bahaian about the development of women’s football in the Kingdom.
She explained how opportunities had expanded under Vision 2030, saying: “Football is evolving massively, which I personally [am] very proud of. We have all the opportunities to shine in the near future, just like the Lionesses, so hopefully one day we can compete with them and just teach that level. They’ve been a benchmark for us since we started this five years ago.”
Asked by William whether it had been lonely playing football as a young woman, she replied: “Absolutely, but once I got to my teenage years, I got to know a small group of women who played football without me even knowing. So almost we said, 'I’m playing football, you’re playing football, let’s do this together.' And we created a community.
“Sometimes I get really jealous,” she added. “What if these opportunities had been here 20 years ago, I would have been in the World Cup or something. But this is an opportunity.”
William is midway through a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, which has included meetings focused on sport, youth engagement and social development.
On Tuesday evening, the Prince of Wales arrived in AlUla in northwest Saudi Arabia.