Prince William says he supports both England and Wales amid sports controversy

He's in a bit of a predicament

Prince William
(Image credit: Eddie Keogh - The FA / Getty)
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Prince William is English, but is also the Prince of Wales, which makes the subject of which sports teams to support slightly awkward.

Earlier this week he showed his support for the England football team, which tweeted a video of William and team members with the caption, "The #ThreeLions heading to @FIFAWorldCup were given a special send-off by being presented with their tournament squad numbers by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales."

In the video, William tells the players: "I'm really here to just kind of point out that the rest of the country is behind you, we're all rooting for you. Enjoy it." He's also seen sharing a conspiratorial joke with Harry Kane.

Soon after the video was shared, however, Welsh actor Michael Sheen pointed out the conflict there.

He tweeted: "He can, of course, support whoever he likes and as Pres of FA his role makes visit understandable - but surely he sees holding the title Prince of Wales at same time is entirely inappropriate? Not a shred of embarrassment? Or sensitivity to the problem here? #PrinceofWales"

William was headed to Cardiff, Wales on Wednesday, and addressed the controversy while he was there.

WalesOnline reporter Will Hayward tweeted: "On supporting England or Wales Prince William said: On football: 'I support both. I support England more in the football but Wales in the rugby. When I was growing up Wales didn’t get through to the tournaments but I will be supporting them all the way through the process. Getting to the World Cup is a big deal and I’ll be supporting  Wales through the process.'"

The journalist later added: "The POW team has said he grew up supporting England football and it wouldn’t be “authentic” if he suddenly supported Wales over England. The Prince has stressed he will be supporting both and supports Wales in the Rugby."

The Prince of Wales has been President-Designate of the Football Association, which oversees England football, since 2006. He has also been the royal patron for the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016. His wife Princess Kate, as for her, is a royal patron for English rugby, which only serves to fuel the couple's infamous competitive spirit.

Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn
Iris Goldsztajn is a celebrity and royal news writer for Marie Claire. As a London-based freelance journalist, she writes about wellness, relationships, pop culture, beauty and more for the likes of InStyle, Women's Health, Bustle, Stylist and Red. Aside from her quasi-personal investment in celebs' comings and goings, Iris is especially interested in debunking diet culture and destigmatising mental health struggles. Previously, she was the associate editor for Her Campus, where she oversaw the style and beauty news sections, as well as producing gift guides, personal essays and celebrity interviews. There, she worked remotely from Los Angeles, after returning from a three-month stint as an editorial intern for Cosmopolitan.com in New York. As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, she interned at goop and C California Style and served as Her Campus' national style and LGBTQ+ editor. Iris was born and raised in France by a French father and an English mother. Her Spotify Wrapped is riddled with country music and One Direction, and she can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.