William sends England good luck message in Welsh as he breaks silence on World Cup row
Prince William is the President of the Football Association (FA) and a keen football fan.
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Prince William took to Twitter to wish both England and Wales' football squads best of luck ahead of the kick-off of their World Cup matches in Doha. The Prince of Wales, a keen football fan, wrote via Kensington Royal, the official Twitter account he shares with Kate, Princess of Wales: "Wishing the very best of luck to @Cymru and @England as they kick off in the #FifaWorldCup today. Looking forward to watching!"
The message was signed off by the royal with his name's initial, W.
The heir to the throne also shared, in a different tweet, the same message in Welsh.
This move comes less than a week after William was criticised by many Twitter users, including Welsh actor Michael Sheen, for giving a "special send-off" to English players ahead of their trip to Qatar for the championship while bearing the title of Prince of Wales.
During an engagement, the royal presented England players heading to Doha with their shirts and numbers.
Mr Sheen 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? #PrinceofWales"
The day after this tweet was published, the heir to the throne headed to Cardiff for his first official visit to the Senedd since he was created Prince of Wales by King Charles III on September 9.
While speaking with some of his hosts, William mentioned where his football loyalty lies.
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Without explicitly mentioning Mr Sheen or the controversy exploded online, the royal said: "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 way of doing it. I happily support Wales over England in the rugby so… I’ve got to be able to play carefully with my affiliations.
"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… An England v Wales World Cup final would be the best, that would be pretty good."
Noting Wales, which last qualified for the World Cup in 1958, never took part in a match of the worldwide tournament during his lifetime before this year, William added: "I'm making sure I'm out there supporting Wales through all the process because I know this is a big deal for Wales.
"When I was growing up, Wales didn't get through to the tournaments so I had to make a choice."
In the run-up to the World Cup, launched on Sunday with a spectacular opening ceremony, Prince William had previously spoken about how his love for football had blossomed while he was in school during a special interview with England player Declan Rice and team captain Harry Kane.
Appearing on a COPA90's Game of 5s special episode, the royal discussed the "complete carnage and chaos" that would spark during his school's sets football matches.
During the episode, the players and the royal also discussed mental health and how a support system is needed to deal with difficulties.
England is debuting in Doha on Monday at 1pm, playing its first World Cup 2022 match against Iran.
Wales, on the other hand, will kick off its World Cup adventure at 7pm, playing against the USA squad.