Prince William shared his thoughts on the emotional rollercoaster of being a football fan while appearing relaxed on the podcast of Travis Kelce, the US football player who is expected to marry pop star Taylor Swift.
The theme was not the wedding but the World Cup, which the US is not participating in, and William corrected Travis by jokingly saying “football” not “soccer”.
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In the 28-minute show, William revealed that his father King Charles “hates football”. Earlier Silo described himself as a fan of Burnley, which may be the reason.
The Prince of Wales also told this newspaper that he will attend the World Cup in the US if England reaches the final.
“They advanced to the finals, will you cross the pond?” Travis asked.
“Absolutely. If we are in the finals,” said Prince William.
“Oh, I love it, man,” the podcast host said.
“Well, maybe. Maybe. We’ll see you both there to make it to the finals,” said William of the US sports star and his host brother, Jason.
Sports star Travis Kelce and pop star Taylor Swift are getting married [Reuters]
William was also asked about another major US landmark: “America turns 250 this year. Be honest. Are you surprised we made it?”
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“There were times… There were times…” William scoffed. “But I like to think that the UK and the US will be together for those 250 years. Oh, yes, a good brotherhood.”
There was discussion about meeting up earlier at an American football match at Wembley – Jason recalled not knowing what to do with the beer he was carrying when he met the royals.
“Yeah, it wasn’t a joke. It was the truth. Well, you want to respect and know the rules,” she said.
Jason also said the meeting “Princess Charlotte was still very important to me. I had four daughters and, so, I mean, she was big”.
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“Now, congratulations. Having four daughters. I don’t know how you do that,” said William.
“That’s really hard work. Very hard work,” Kelce said.
This episode looks like it was recorded a few weeks ago, as it talks about England recently playing Croatia, which was the team’s opening game in the tournament.
It was a confident start and Prince William – referred to as “The Prince” in the interview – was asked about what could be a successful World Cup.
“I think it’s a win,” he said. William also spoke of England manager Thomas Tuchel’s more “fluid” approach and less defensive style.
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“Thomas, I think, prefers to go slow – and if we lose, we lose playing the way we want to play. And if you’re going to score four goals, we’re going to score five. And I think that’s a really good attitude,” said Prince William.
Taylor Swift took a selfie with William, George and Charlotte two years ago [X/KensingtonRoyal]
Prince William was asked about the culture of football – and spoke about the strange appeal of the highs and lows of being a supporter.
His support for Aston Villa became even more intense when the club was relegated, he said.
“So I’m thinking in a weird way, this sounds weird, but I got into football more than ever when we got relegated,” he told American viewers.
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“So when Aston Villa went from the Premiership to the Championship, I just enjoyed the battle to get back to the Premiership.”
The results of his favorite team can affect his attitude: “My weekend goes from being the best thing in the world if we win… Or frankly, I don’t want to see anyone on Monday morning because I’m really down.”
He said he would become an Aston Villa fan after seeing them play for the first time, remembering the game against Bolton 26 years ago.
Travis had asked if Prince William’s love of football was inherited.
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“Did your father put you at Aston Villa or did you do it yourself?” Travis asked.
“Not really. My father hates football,” answered the prince.
He also warned the US hosts about the characteristics of football support.
“Those rowdy evenings, those long afternoons, a few drinks, your social elements. You know, there’s a lot of songs you don’t want to hear. They’re too spicy. They’re too mean to air.”
There was also an insight into the prince’s thinking when he was asked about his role as president of the Football Association.
“Just don’t screw it up,” he said, in a short piece of advice for managers.
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The podcasters invited Prince William to name some of the best English players of all time – in what they thought was a Mount Rushmore of football.
William’s list included Sir David Beckham, Gary Lineker, Harry Kane, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Sir Bobby Charlton.
“Harry Kane could end up being one of the greatest England strikers we’ve ever seen,” he said, with prophetic accuracy, considering Kane became England’s top goalscorer in subsequent games.
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