Yesterday, England fell in the World Cup semifinal. Argentina made a late push, and now the FIFA World Cup final is between Argentina and Spain. While I’m sure that Prince William watched the semifinal from one of his eleventy billion forever homes as he pulled out his baby-hair tufts from anxiety, it’s still remarkable to me that the whole-ass patron of England Football did not bother attending one single World Cup match. And England made it all the way to the semis!! Part of me wonders if this is part of the Donald Trump curse as well – as soon as he supports a team or an athlete, that team or athlete is going to fail, flop or get arrested. Harry Kane recently admitted that he golfed with Trump, and William is clearly BFFs with Trump. It was never coming home.
Meanwhile, I also have to believe that the World Cup semifinal was “the reason” why William didn’t attend the funeral of Qatar’s former emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Buckingham Palace sent Prince Edward to attend the Wednesday funeral, even though someone a lot higher up clearly should have been sent. Once again, when King Charles was the Prince of Wales, he *constantly* represented his mother for these kinds of state funerals and state events. The two royal houses have historic ties and Charles is quite close to many Qatari royals. William should have been sent to Qatar. Or, failing that, William should have been at the World Cup semifinal in person, surely? Instead, he was just sitting at home and tweeting.
Gutted. England, you gave it everything and we are all so proud of you.
Thank you to everyone on and off the pitch, for an incredible tournament. The fight and belief you have shown has inspired us all. The most complete England team in a tournament. Hold your heads high
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) July 15, 2026
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
