England’s men’s football team, Three Lions, lost their second EURO final in a row two weekends ago. Prince William was there, in person, to watch both of the finals. William was there in an official capacity, because he’s been the Football Association president since 2005. They gave him that patronage because they thought it would be easy for him – just show up to some football matches and try not to make an ass out of yourself, right? Well… it hasn’t worked out that way. From William’s racism gaffes to even more racism gaffes to his laziness to his inability to travel to support the women’s national team, it’s all been quite a sh-tshow. Given the prominent losses in finals for England’s national teams, it’s also possible that William is a one-man bad luck charm for English football. As such, William is stepping down as FA president. The official excuse is that he’s super-busy with the Duchy of Cornwall.
Prince William has stepped back as the President of the Football Association (FA), taking on a new role instead. The Prince of Wales was first appointed President of the FA in 2005 and has held the position for almost 20 years.
The royal’s decision to step back from the role is motivated by his greater focus on new roles and responsibilities in Wales and as Duke of Cornwall. Prince William will become Patron of the Football Association in a more scaled-back role.
Kensington Palace confirmed the Prince of Wales will also become Patron of the Welsh Guards Charity, the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association and President of the Victoria Cross and George Cross Association. Royal patronage highlights the vital work of these organisations and allows their many achievements and valuable contributions to society to be more widely recognised and promoted.
My take: this is less about William’s schedule and more about several other big issues. One, England Football is going through a (necessary) overhaul, with Gareth Southgate also stepping down. They probably want a real president, someone with real ideas and a real plan to help them with the overhaul, not a royal dilettante who looks and behaves like a hooligan at the few games he does attend. Two, William is clearly a jinx. Many athletes are superstitious and William’s presence is bringing bad juju to the team. Three, I still believe that the courtiers and “kingmakers” behind the scenes are trying to limit William’s “animated enthusiasm,” which had photos of him screaming, shaking his fists and looking absolutely ridiculous circulating across social media. Extra bonus reason for William “stepping down” – he’s just really lazy. Incredibly lazy. Too lazy to watch football and call it work.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.