Prince William says he 'supports both' Wales and England in World Cup after Michael Sheen criticism
The Prince of Wales has addressed the controversy surrounding his World Cup allegiances after fans criticised his visit to the England team.
Those among to express their anger at the meeting which saw the prince attend a private meeting at the team’s Staffordshire training ground on Monday evening, was Welsh actor Michael Sheen who described his visit as "entirely inappropriate”.
Wales and England are due to face each other in the tournament group on 29 November.
The video was shared on Twitter of him handing out shirts to the England camp, which attracted hundreds of comments from people in Wales with some asking if he was going to meet the Welsh team.
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace told ITV News that the prince was "extremely proud" of Wales' achievements and wished them well in the tournament.
During a visit to Cardiff on Wednesday, he addressed the controversy and said he will be supporting "both Wales and England" at the World Cup in Qatar, ahead of the two countries meeting in the group stages.
Wales and England are both in Group B and will face each other in just a few weeks.
On a visit to Cardiff on Wednesday, the Prince of Wales said that both teams will have his support.
He said: “I support both. I support England more in the football, but Wales in the rugby.“When I was growing up, Wales didn’t get through to the tournaments but I will be supporting them all the way through.
“Getting to the World Cup is a big deal and I’ll be supporting Wales through the process.”
Actor Sheen took to social media to respond to the video, saying: “He can, of course, support whoever he likes and as President of the FA his role makes visit understandable.“But surely he sees holding the title Prince of Wales at the same time is entirely inappropriate?
“Not a shred of embarrassment? Or sensitivity to the problem here?”
Others on social media also voiced their disappointment with Prince William, who is president of the English Football Association.
One user said: "One hopes he will do something to support Wales too considering he is our Prince!"
Prince William made his first visit to the Senedd on Wednesday since becoming the Prince of Wales.
He told the Senedd's chief executive, that it was "good to be back" in Wales.
During his trip to Cardiff, Prince William ruled out having a grand investiture to mark his succession to Prince of Wales.
He made it clear to Elin Jones, Llywydd of the Senedd that he has to tread cautiously with his allegiances in sport.
He said: "I've got to be able to play carefully with my affiliations because I worry otherwise if I suddenly drop England to support Wales then that doesn't look right for the sport either. So I can't do that."
When visiting the England camp earlier this week, Prince William told the squad: "We're all rooting for you."
He told the players and staff at St George's Park that they had built something special. He said: "Play for each other, support each other, enjoy it, and I’m sure you’ll go far.”