Prince George of Wales shakes hands with Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, after the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on May 25, 2024 in London. Photo / Getty Images
Prince George of Wales shakes hands with Pep Guardiola, Manager of Manchester City, after the Emirates FA Cup Final match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium on May 25, 2024 in London. Photo / Getty Images
With a deftness and confidence beyond his years, Prince George was every inch the Royal dignitary at Wembley on Saturday.
The young Prince shook hands with the players at the end of the FA Cup final, congratulating surprise winners Manchester United and offering words of commiseration to the vanquished Manchester City team.
In a manner which suggested he might in future be quite good at his inherited role, Prince George proffered his hand to the global stars who had just battled it out for football’s most historic cup.
Maybe it was big match nerves, but he had earlier looked a little anxious when he made a surprise appearance in the Royal Box - sucking in his cheeks and adjusting his well-combed hair.
But as the game went on, Prince George appeared to relax somewhat, while still mindful of course that he was on display in front of the packed stands.
The final might not have featured their beloved Aston Villa, but Prince William and George did not appear to bear any grudges when they handed out the winners’ and runners’ medals.
The Prince of Wales had earlier shaken hands and wished both United and City the best of luck when he was introduced to the teams, moments before kick-off.
Both Prince William, who is president of the Football Association, and George, who often attends matches with his father, kept a close eye on the action throughout the game, which ended 2-1 in United’s favour.
Prince William and George last month travelled to a Villa game together to watch their team take on Lille in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final.
On that occasion, 10-year-old George wore the team’s scarf and was seen clapping and smiling alongside his father as their team secured a 2-1 victory.
The pair could have been forgiven for thinking about what could have been, given that Villa bowed out of the FA Cup in February after a 3-1 home defeat to Chelsea.
William last week praised the club for qualifying to play Champions League football next season, paying tribute to their “historic season” and “amazing achievement”. These sentiments were no doubt echoed by Prince George in his inimitable way.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Avram Glazer with Head Coach Pep Guardiola and Kyle Walker of Manchester City after United's 2-1 win as HRH Prince William and Prince George look on. Photo / Getty Images
Indeed, there was a particularly touching moment on Saturday when George shook hands with former Villa star and now City player Jack Grealish - the young Prince’s face breaking into a huge smile at meeting one of his heroes.
The appearance of Prince William and his son will be one of the few official engagements carried out by members of the Royal family during the general election campaign.
The Royals will be at pains not to appear to be either distracting from the campaign or being seen to inadvertently endorse particular policies or initiatives.
The King and Queen will reportedly still carry out scheduled D-Day 80th anniversary appearances in Portsmouth and Normandy in June, and the King is also scheduled to welcome the Emperor and Empress of Japan to London for a state visit at Buckingham Palace in late June.
Other big ceremonial events which are expected to go ahead this summer include Trooping the Colour, the official celebration of His Majesty’s birthday observed on June 15, and Royal Ascot, set to take place from June 18 to June 22.
Royal sources said that the King’s entire schedule, which only recently restarted after his cancer diagnosis, is now being assessed and reviewed to ensure he appears at all times to be above party politics.
In a statement last week Buckingham Palace statement said “The Royal Family will - in accordance with normal procedure - postpone engagements that may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign.
“Their Majesties send their sincere apologies to any of those who may be affected as a result.”
Few, however, will have begrudged the pair’s visit to Wembley for what is widely regarded as one of the nation’s sporting highlights, enjoyed by thousands across the country.
