Criticism of the British heir over his absence from the Women’s World Cup | Vanity gallery

The presence of Doña Letizia in the Women’s World Cup final that will pit the Spanish football team against the England team on Sunday in Sydney, where she will be accompanied by Queen Infanta Sofía, has put Prince William in a dilemma. The heir to the British throne is the honorary president of the English Football Association, and in the UK, many fans felt that he should support his team in such an important match, a final, as in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. In the case of Spain, it may be Historically for English football: The English women’s team has never won a World Cup before. Furthermore, England have not won this competition since 1966, the year in which the men’s team managed to lift their only trophy to date.

However, unlike the other matches in which the men’s team played in the final, Prince William decided not to cut short his vacation to travel to Australia. The decision sparked criticism from figures such as former British Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe, who declared that the heir “should be there.” “It’s a long journey and I’m sure he has family commitments, but it’s a unique moment: it’s the World Cup final and he’s the president of the FA,” Sutcliffe told the British press, highlighting that, on the contrary, the Spaniard will be attending the royal family.

Given this criticism, Kensington Palace, the official residence of the Crown Prince, was forced to excuse William by saying that although he would not travel to Sydney, he would “support the England team from home” by watching the match on television. Something much more environmental. “It is understood he made the decision to avoid having to make the long trip to Australia for such a short stay,” the network reported yesterday. BBC. “The prince has made combating climate change one of his priorities, and is thought to be concerned about the impact such a trip would have.”

For now, what Prince William did was congratulate the England team on Twitter for reaching the final against Spain. If England wins the World Cup, the heir is likely to personally congratulate the team’s players by receiving them at the palace. It is also possible that Kensington Palace may post a photo of Prince William enjoying the match broadcast with his family or wish the players well. His daughter, Princess Charlotte, is a football fan like Infanta Sofia, and last year she recorded a video in which she cheered on the women’s team with him ahead of the Euro 2020 final.

Infanta Sofia and her sister Princess Leonor have already attended a Spanish national team match. Specifically, they attended the European Cup held last year in England. For her part, Letizia held several meetings with the women’s national team, whose players she visited, for example, last June to wish them success before the World Cup.