A royal expert claims that The Prince of Wales abandoned his duties
The Prince of Wales is facing backlash after he announced he would not be attending the Women’s World Cup final in Australia, despite being President of the FA.
Piers Morgan criticised The Prince of Wales on Twitter for his decision saying that with respect, he should have got on a plane. He went on to say that it was “ridiculous that the Queen of Spain attended while Prince William will not be there despite being President of the FA”.
The Prince of Wales has been accused of hurling his father into the firing line after he decided not to fly to Australia to watch the Lionesses play in the World Cup Final.
The event was not attended by the Royal family, which could have seen England become the first national team to win a World Cup since 1966.
Members of the Royal Family of Spain, in comparison, travelled to Australia to watch their team win the tournament.
Founder and CEO of Broadstairs Consulting Leah Brown claims the no show calls into question the role of the monarchy in modern Britain. She told the Express that the primary impact of the Monarch not supporting the Lionesses, and the PR stunt played by The Prince of Wales using Charlotte to garner public favour.
Brown also alleged that William abandoned his duties as patron of the FA, which now falls on his father King Charles.
She said that she has some sympathy for the position of King Charles. In this instance, Prince William, the nominated individual shirked his responsibility thus throwing others into the firing line. The royal expert said that she was also not convinced by the excuse for missing the match and added that she was unsatisfied that climate change concerns were the driver behind non-attendance, and that it was disappointing to have no state support alongside the Queen of Spain.
Brown went on to state that the idea that the royals are anything other than performative suggests charity causes and investitures aside, that this event should have been attended at least by a female royal representative. Brown said the lack of support from the Royal Family was short-sighted.
No senior member of the British royal family is attended the match which kicked off at 11am. However, Queen Letizia of Spain was there with her 16-year-old daughter Ifanta Sofia to show her support to her country.
It is the first time the Lionesses have ever reached the final of a World Cup, and the first time an England football team has competed in a World Cup final since the men’s side beat West Germany in 1966.
King Charles and The Prince of Wales have both sent their well wishes to the Lionesses through social media.
While King Charles urged the Lionesses to roar to victory, Prince William sent a video, alongside his daughter Princess Charlotte who clutched a football, wishing the team “good luck”.
Pauline Cope, Former England goalkeeper branded it a “shame”, saying that she will not have any bad words against the royal family. This should however have been pencilled in his diary after they won the Euros and qualified for the World Cup.
Cope, who has 60 England caps and played in the 1995 World Cup, told Times Radio that in all honesty, if it was the men’s World Cup, they would all have been there.
Veteran broadcaster Jon Sopel also suggested it was “inconceivable” that William, who is president of the FA, and the PM would not travel if it was the men’s team playing.
