The Duke of Cambridge took to Twitter on Tuesday to share a message of support praising Blackpool footballer Jake Daniels who recently came out as gay.
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As president of the Football Association, Prince William took to his official Twitter account to pen a heartfelt message which read: "What Jake has done takes courage and will hopefully help break down barriers that have no place in our society.
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"I hope his decision to speak openly gives others the confidence to do the same." He signed his message with a 'W', signalling that the tweet came personally from him and not his communications team.
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On Monday, the 17-year-old forward player publicly came out on Sky Sports - the first British male professional footballer to do so since Justin Fashanu in 1990. Jake said: "Now is the right time to do it. I feel like I am ready to tell people my story."
Alongside Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Prince William was one of many who rallied behind the youngster in support of his decision to come out in the public eye.
Back in 2016, William starred on the front cover of the UK's leading gay magazine, Attitude. As second in line to the throne, the future king was officially the first member of the royal family to be photographed for the cover of a gay publication.
He told Attitude: "No one should be bullied for their sexuality or any other reason and no one should have to put up with the kind of hate that these young people have endured in their lives.
"The young gay, lesbian and transgender individuals I met through Attitude are truly brave to speak out and to give hope to people who are going through terrible bullying right now. Their sense of strength and optimism should give us all encouragement to stand up to bullying wherever we see it."
In 2019, William said that it would be "absolutely fine by me" if any of his children come out as gay or lesbian.
The Duke's candid admission came when he visited the London headquarters of the Albert Kennedy Trust (Akt), an LGBTQ+ youth homelessness charity.
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