The Prince of Wales may have supported the Lionesses from afar, but the royal has faced criticism over the weekend thanks to his absence at the Women’s World Cup Final. The monumental match marked the first time an English national football team had made the World Cup final since 1966 and after all, William is president of the Football Association and has been since 2006. As the backlash surrounding his decision mounts, let’s look at the criticism the Prince of Wales is facing, and why he chose not to attend the England versus Spain final.

When kick-off began at Stadium Australia on Sunday, Prince William was notable in his absence. He had of course sent his apologies to the Lionesses for not being there, in a much-shared video message posted to the @princeandprincessofwales account’s 15 million Instagram followers on Sunday afternoon. Joined by his 8-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, who was sitting on his knee and holding a football, he told the team, ‘Lionesses, we want to send you a huge good luck for tomorrow, we’re sorry we can’t be there in person but we’re so proud of everything you’ve achieved and the millions you’ve inspired here and around the world. So go out there tomorrow and really enjoy yourselves.’

The video didn’t have the desired effect. In fact, as the hours went by it turned into something of a PR nightmare for William and Kate, who were criticised for not making the 9,443 mile journey to support the women’s team. Franklin Leonard, The Black List Founder, took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, ‘It is absolutely wild that Prince William – the whole president of the English Football Association – is skipping a World Cup final where England is competing. Just unreal.’

There was further criticism for William’s choice of wording, with some suggesting that telling the team to ‘really enjoy themselves’ felt in some ways patronising. One X user tweeted, ‘Prince William telling the Lionesses to go out there and enjoy themselves is another way of saying: “It’s only women’s football. No one takes this seriously so just have fun kicking a ball about.” This isn’t exactly something you say to a professional team at the pinnacle of their career.’

The PR disaster continued, with others questioning why only Princess Charlotte has been present in the video, and not Princess Louis or Prince George. One social media user wrote, ‘Wish he would have included his boys in this, because women’s football is not just there to inspire girls or be watched by them.’ Whilst another user commented, ‘This is openly sexist. By just featuring his daughter he is perpetuating the idea that women’s football is undesirable to men and boys.’

It wasn’t just Prince William who faced backlash for his good luck message. It seemed as if the men in power just shouldn’t hit the right note. When it came to supporting the Lionesses, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Keir Starmer both referred to themselves as fathers of daughters in their messages – something that was criticised for being reductive. Rishi wrote on social media, ‘For my daughters, and for every girl in this country, you have made football something for them; you have made them feel they belong on the pitch. In a way, you’ve already brought football home. All that remains is to bring the trophy home too.’ For many women, we know we belong – it’s often men who tell us we don’t.

Meanwhile Keir wrote, ‘The Lionesses have galvanised the whole nation through their historic achievement in becoming the first England team to make the World Cup final. But they’ve also inspired a generation of women and girls to play football, take up sport, and to remove any doubt in their minds that they too can go all the way in their chosen field.’ Adding, ‘There’s no doubt that they should be recognised by the honours system.’

Some social media users also questioned why men were also making the success if the Lionesses just about women and girls and not about the whole country. The Lionesses are excelling and should be seen as role models for men and boys too.
The difference in commitment from leading figures of the two final countries was quite astonishing. Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter were both in attendance to cheer on their team (although the King, was said to have prior commitments). Meanwhile not one of Britain’s senior royals or government officials were present to cheer on our team.

As the Women’s World Cup final match began, former footballers, celebrities and politicians were publicly vocal about the lack of top-level representation – with many suggesting it was sexism at play.

The former England goalkeeper Pauline Cope told Times Radio, ‘I will not have any bad words against the royal family. However, this should have been pencilled in his [William’s] diary from day dot, after we won the Euros and qualified for the World Cup.’ Adding, ‘Let’s be honest, if it was the men’s World Cup, they would all be here.’

Broadcaster Jon Sopel said it was ‘inconceivable’ that William and Sunak would not travel if it was the men’s team playing. He tweeted, ‘Happy to accept might be impossible for the PM, given other commitments. But Prince William? Why?’
Fans of the sport also pondered on the idea that if it was the England’s men’s team who advanced to the World Cup final, leading figures and royals would flock to attend the monumental moment. It was reported by The Guardian that Prince William almost attended the Men’s World Cup. Although he had not initially planned to attend the tournament in October (which was controversially held in Qatar,) due to a busy winter schedule. However, before Southgate’s team was defeated in the quarter-final, it was understood William’s office was looking at making possible arrangements for him to attend if the men reached the final.

There are, however, suggestions that there was a hidden reason why the monarch was not in attendance. Some media reports said William was ‘concerned with his carbon footprint’ due to the 19-hour flight from London to Sydney. As the founder of the Earthshot prize, an award that celebrates contributions to environmentalism and substantiality, and doubts towards his dedication may have arisen had he hopped on a long-haul flight.

Others have pointed out that the trip could also lead to diplomatic complications and could break royal protocol as King Charles, Australia’s Monarch, has not made a state visit just yet.

New South Wales Parliament (NSW) have confirmed that a Royal tour is being planned in Australia, to coincide with celebrations for the country’s 200th anniversary of the NSW Legislative Council. The celebration has reportedly been earmarked for October 2024 and should the tour be conducted by King Charles; it would be the first time a reigning King has ever set foot on Australian soil.

The last few days may have been something of a PR disaster for Prince William, but it’s undeniable that he has previously showed huge support for the team. He watched the Lionesses take home the European Championship last year, presenting them with their medals at Wembley, and visited them in person in June at the St George’s Park training base to wish them good luck before they left for Australia.

As with any backlash, it’s likely this will fade into the obscurity of another scandal before long, But the underlying issue will remain: when will we see more dedication from the most powerful men in the country to showing their appreciation and support women in sport. The Lionesses deserved way better.