England's FA Chairman Prince William has faced heavy backlash for his decision not to travel to Australia to watch the Lionesses in the World Cup final against Spain
Prince William, son of England’s King Charles has been criticised for his decision to stay home during the Lionesses’ World Cup final against Spain on Sunday and watch the proceedings on the television instead.
England take on Spain in World Cup final
The Lionesses are set to take on La Roja in a meeting between two Women’s World Cup final debutants, which also marks England’s first senior World Cup final of any kind since winning the Men’s title in 1966.
England found success at the continental level after lifting the Women’s European Championships on home soil in 2022, and Lionesses defender Lucy Bronze believes that their experience in the final at Wembley could be an advantage for them.
Despite Bronze’s optimism, England will be unable to recreate the entire Wembley experience when they play Spain in Sydney, as they will be missing the presence of Prince William, who doubles as the England FA’s chairman but has elected to remain at home instead of flying to Australia to see the final live.
Prince William criticised for World Cup no-show
According to the DailyStar, the reason for Prince William’s absence is believed to be down to the Royal’s attempts to reduce his carbon footprint and save on cost.
His decision not to travel to watch the final has faced considerable backlash, with Mandu Reid, leader of the Women’s Equality Party, critical of the attitude towards the Lionesses in the country as a whole.
Reid said “It’s utterly ridiculous that England wasn’t and still isn’t prepared to celebrate the women’s World Cup final.
”The President of the Football Association, Prince William, isn’t bothering to attend, there won’t be a screen at Trafalgar Square and there’s been no word of any kind of large celebration should they win.
”This last minute scramble to show support for the Lionesses by our leaders isn’t just embarrassing it reveals how little they think of women’s sport. You can guarantee that there’s no way the men’s football team would be treated with such disregard and disrespect.”
Despite Prince William’s absence, fans of England’s Lionesses will root for them too bring home the country’s first World Cup in 57 years.
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