The Duchess of Sussex enjoyed a day out talking all things sport with Prince Harry at Loughborough University on Monday, but she did admit that there's one thing about America that she hopes will catch on more here in the UK. The royal couple were joined by many sports stars for the Coach Core Awards – one of which included former US basketball player David Robinson, who used to play for the San Antonio Spurs – and took part in a competitive netball shoot-out with some young sports apprentices.
Meghan tried her hand at netball at the event
Later, David opened up about his chat with the Duke and Duchess, and said that Meghan spoke of how she hoped basketball would become more popular in the UK. "I told them that obviously netball is a bigger game here than basketball, but it was fun working with the coaches. They said they love basketball and it will grow here. I said you will need to grow some 7ft 1 in guys, that's all," he said.
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Prince Harry even shared a joke with the former NBA star, who towers above him at over two metres tall. Fellow guest, cricketer Mark Ramprakash, said: "He went up to David and said 'what do you play, chess?' That was very amusing."
The royal couple met more than 200 young Coach Core apprentices on Monday afternoon, later attending the Coach Core Awards where they joined graduates, new joiners and other apprentices to celebrate their achievements in categories including Community Outreach Project of the Year, Graduate of the Year, Mentor of the Year, Educator of the Year and Apprentice of the Year.
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The Duke said in a speech: "Being a coach isn't just about helping an individual get active, or training the next person who's going to become a world record holder. It's so much bigger than that. It's about being a role model; it's about being professional, relatable and inspiring." He added: "Sport does not discriminate. But lack of support and barriers to access do, which is why the role of Coach Core fostering this raw talent is absolutely vital."
