The Prince of Wales has declared that a successful World Cup for England would unequivocally mean "winning it", while also playfully suggesting his father, the King, "hates football".
William shared his aspirations and humour during an appearance on a podcast co-hosted by Travis Kelce, the American football star and fiancé of pop sensation Taylor Swift.
The light-hearted discussion was released just hours before Kelce was expected to tie the knot with his superstar fiancée at New York’s Madison Square Garden, though neither Swift nor the impending nuptials were directly mentioned during the broadcast. This follows a previous instance in May when the future King joked about receiving an invitation to the highly-anticipated summer wedding.
During a Heart Radio interview, he initially responded "no comment" when asked, before adding: "That feels like a showbiz excuse but it’s not. I’m hoping, and I’m sure there might be an invitation around, but we’ll see."
In the pre-recorded podcast chat, which took place shortly after England's opening World Cup match against Croatia, William was directly asked by Jason Kelce, Travis's brother and co-host of their New Heights podcast, about his definition of success for the national team.
"I think winning it," he replied, confirming he would definitely "cross the pond" if England reached the final. He also praised the tournament's organisation, stating: "It’s fantastic. I think it’s been a brilliant World Cup. It’s been really well started and I think the tournament’s been well balanced."
The Prince of Wales has a notable connection to Taylor Swift, having taken his two eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, to her Eras Tour concert in London last year, where they met the singer and her fiancé backstage.
He also famously joined Swift and US rock star Jon Bon Jovi on stage in 2013 for an impromptu rendition of Bon Jovi’s 'Livin’ On A Prayer' at a charity event for the homeless charity Centrepoint at Kensington Palace.
William's jest about King Charles's disinterest in football came as he explained his own passion for Premier League team Aston Villa.
He elaborated: "My family haven’t got a particularly long history with football. There are a few of us who support teams. My football love came from friends taking me to my first match and at school growing up you can’t avoid the football chat, it’s everywhere."
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