prince william solo© Photo: Getty Images

Prince William's secret World Cup visit revealed: VIDEO

The royal was captured on video

Online Digital News Director
November 15, 2022

Prince William is known to be a big football fan as a keen supporter of Aston Villa and President of the FA.

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And so, he wasn't going to miss out on the chance to wish the England team good luck ahead of the World Cup in Qatar.

WATCH: Prince William visits England squad ahead of Qatar World Cup

William paid a low-key visit to see the squad at St George's Park ahead of their trip overseas. He spent time talking to the players before presenting their with their jersey numbers on Monday evening.

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Video footage shows William shaking hands with manager Gareth Southgate before going in to meet the team. He is on hand to present the payers with their shirts – carefully presented in a box – before posing for photographs.

© Photo: Getty Images

The Prince pictured with England captain Harry Kane

"I'm really here to point out that the rest of the country is behind you," the Prince can be heard telling the squad. "We are all rooting for you, enjoy it."

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It comes after William spoke about some of the life lessons football had taught him as he sat down to talk to England football stars Harry Kane and Declan Rice about their shared love of the game.

© Photo: Getty Images

William is a big football fan

During their conversation, Aston Villa fan William credited football with teaching him that "disappointment is a part of life". He also highlighted the work of Shout, the free and confidential 24/7 text messaging service for people struggling with their mental health.

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He said: "You learn by playing a number of times and many other things in life that disappointment is part of life and how you handle it is crucial.

© Photo: Getty Images

The royal is President of the FA

"Handling some of those really disappointing England results in the past, that was hard, I found that really difficult, because again the same euphoria that we had comes crashing down. You feel high and all together, and then normal life just gets on again."

William added that he still has a "lot of friends" that he met through playing football in his youth.

"Some of the greatest friendships are born from playing games and being pushed together in slight adversity," he said.

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