Prince William looks set to avoid a potential diplomatic headache by staying away from this summer’s World Cup until at least the final.
The i Paper understands the football-loving Prince of Wales is not expected to attend the tournament being played across the United States, Canada and Mexico unless England – or Scotland – make it to the final in New York on 19 July.
Last year, it had been widely reported that William was expected to coincide a trip to cheer on the Three Lions with America’s Independence Day celebrations on 4 July.
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However, it now appears William will stay at home – as the war between the US and Iran casts a diplomatic shadow over the tournament and revelations have emerged about apparent royal unease over Trump’s actions on the global stage.
Kensington Palace declined to comment but the decision to stay away is in keeping with the pattern of recent international tournaments, where William has seemingly given a wide berth to competitions played against a backdrop of geopolitical sensitivities.
While the Prince, who is also the long-standing president of the Football Association, attended three England games during the Euro 2024 competition in Germany and group-stage games at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups – he did not make the journey to either of the two previous tournaments in Qatar and Russia .
In the case of the Qatar tournament held late in 2022, royal aides insisted the no-show was down to William’s busy winter schedule. But both tournaments were overshadowed by human rights concerns, in particular the Russia World Cup which came shortly after Moscow’s agents had deployed a nerve agent in an attempt to murder ex-spy Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2018.
William has previously attended World Cup group games, including at South Africa 2010 (Photo: Getty)
Dr Ed Owens, a royal historian and commentator, said: “William is much like his father on this. He recognises that royal soft power is arguably the Windsors’s most uncontested role in modern life and the most important role they can play on behalf of Britain.”
William also did not attend the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney in 2023 – England’s first World Cup final appearance since 1966. Royal sources at the time cited it would have involved flying across the world for a very short period of time.
Potential for awkward meetings
As recently as six months ago, there was widespread anticipation that Palace planners were seeking to combine a visit to the World Cup by the Prince of Wales with an appearance at 4 July celebrations to commemorate 250 years since independence from Britain.
But appetite for such an encounter appears to have shifted. During that time the US, along with Israel, has launched a war on Iran which has seen it become the first World Cup host at war with a country participating in the tournament.
The i Paper revealed earlier this month that King Charles was privately reticent about hosting the US President on his visit to Britain last year in the wake of Trump’s infamous verbal tirade against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office.
The King eventually agreed to the visit and in turn delivered what was regarded as a diplomatic tour de force during a royal tour of the US in April.
Experts said it is now more likely the Royal Household will have decided it did not want to risk diminishing the hard-won afterglow of that visit by pitching the Prince of Wales into a fresh round of glad-handing with a combustible Trump administration.
Owens added: “I think there will be a desire for a little bit of breathing space after the April visit and with geopolitical tensions like Iran still swirling. But I don’t think William would at all shy away from engaging with Trump as when it was deemed necessary.”
The Prince of Wales alongside Trump during the President’s state visit in 2025. There were widespread anticipation that Palace planners were seeking to combine a visit to the World Cup by William with an appearance at 4 July celebrations (Photo: Getty)
But while the calculations behind the Prince’s latest World Cup no-show are not being disclosed, it illustrates the central role played by the beautiful game in William’s efforts to overhaul his own image and that of the monarchy.
The Prince, who sent the Three Lions a good luck message prior to their 4-2 victory over Croatia in their opening World Cup 2026 fixture on Wednesday, has been a regular at England’s training set-up and the matchday dressing room over the years.
A senior former royal aide said: “His interest in football is authentic and heartfelt. The British public, and football fans in particular, know very quickly when someone isn’t being genuine. But with the Prince of Wales his enthusiasm and passion for football is absolutely real.”
Football has proved a useful conduit for William to provide a more relatable face to a monarchy deeply troubled by the crisis provoked by the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and an ongoing deba…
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