KEY POINTS
- Some people have criticised Prince William for not attending the England v Spain Women's World Cup final.
- Among the 75,784 people at Stadium Australia watching the final was Spain's Queen Letizia.
- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also did not attend.
Prince William has been criticised for not attending the Women's World Cup final between England and Spain — and for his video apologising for it.
Spain became the 2023 Women's World Cup champions after defeating England's Lionesses in front of 75,784 fans at Stadium Australia in Sydney on Sunday.
Spain's Queen Letizia was there, while the highest-profile supporters there to cheer on England were UK Sports Minister Lucy Frazer and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. Some were critical that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak nor Prince William, who is president of the Football Association (FA), did not attend the match — which was the first time England has appeared in a World Cup final since its men's team won in 1966.
On Saturday, Prince William shared a video in which he apologised for missing the game and wished the Lionesses "good luck" for the final before telling them to "go out there... and really enjoy yourselves".
His daughter, eight-year-old Princess Charlotte, was sitting next to him with a football on her lap and said, "Good luck Lionesses."
The video sparked debate online, with lawyer and political activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu accusing Prince William of using Princess Charlotte as a "PR shield".
"Using Princess Charlotte, as PR shield to deflect from backlash of deplorable decision not to support #Lionesses in person as FA President, is stereotypically sexist & patriarchal," Shogbamimu wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Journalist Poorna Bell wrote: "The gender gap for sport begins at a young age and underpins ideas that everyone should take an interest in men’s sport while women’s sport is for girls.
"Bad enough he didn’t go to watch the match let alone only posing with his daughter - what message does that send to his boys?"
British media reported that part of the reason Prince William had decided not to attend the final was because it would create a large carbon footprint. The royal has spoken about the need to combat climate change in the past, and is behind the Earthshot Prize that funds projects that aim to fix key environmental problems.
But Charlotte Nichols, an MP from the opposition UK Labour Party, believed reported reasons for his non-attendance were "pretty poor".
"Given Prince William is President of the FA, the reasons communicated for non-attendance here seem pretty poor," Nichols wrote on X.
TV presenter Piers Morgan wrote: "With respect, YRH (Your Royal Highness), you should have got on a plane. Ridiculous that the Queen of Spain is attending the World Cup Final to support her nation’s team, and you won’t be there despite being President of the FA."
Not everyone was critical though. Former BBC Breakfast presenter Dan Walker said he wasn't sure why Prince William's decision had sparked outrage among some.
"We all know he’d get hammered for the cost & climate impact of flying all the way to Australia for one football match," he wrote on X.
And ahead of the final, Frazer told the UK's Sky News: "Prince William has been a fan of sport and really supportive of football. He's the president of the FA.
"You'll have seen he's apologised for being unable to come but I know that he's backing the England team. I know he wants the Lionesses to come... and I'm sure he'll be celebrating with them whether they win or lose, you know, after the match today."
