Exclusive: Lioness champ Beth Mead's surprising interaction with 'down to earth' Prince William

England Lioness and Arsenal football club forward, Beth Mead, has opened up about meeting the "down to earth" Prince of Walesduring a rare, and perhaps surprising, interaction the royal had with the women's team.

In an exclusive interview with HELLO!, the 29-year-old, who, along with the rest of her stellar team, lifted the UEFA Women's Euros trophy in 2022, explained how the "football mad" Prince William, a support of Aston Villa, was relaxed and humble when meeting the England squad, and even made a light-hearted comment about the formalities of protocol that follows him.

"He's a lovely human and he's so down to earth," Beth told HELLO!, adding: "He doesn't like all of the stuff that comes around him.

"Obviously, he's got all of his bodyguards around, but he just says, 'Oh, I don't need it!' and he just loves football."

Beth continued: "I had the pleasure of getting an MBE and he was the one who gave it to me. It was so nice to see his face light up when he saw someone that he could talk football with. We had a chat for a minute, but it felt like two seconds and you can just tell he loves he loves his sport.

"During the Euros he give me my player of the tournament trophy, so I've had a few interactions with him, and he's a very, very lovely human being and very down to earth."

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Beth was chatting all about her ongoing campaign with McDonalds' Fun Football, encouraging young people, particularly girls, to get involved with the beautiful game at a grassroots level, something the England star is extremely passionate about.

The Sports Personality of the Year winner also explained how her mission is a national one. "[The England team] all signed an open letter to get girls more time in sport, football and PE at school.

"We had that chance to push it forward because we had a great platform. Although [at the time, the focus was ] to win the Euros, we knew that we could have a real impact."

She added: "For us to get that approved by Downing Street was a massive goal of ours. A lot of us are very passionate about it and it doesn't end with us. We're the generation right now that went and won a Euros tournament but now we want the next generation to do even better. So if we can help do that and help provide them a lot more support to do that then we're doing something right."

Speaking about Fun Football's impact, Beth continued: "I've had the pleasure to be a part of it for two or three years and I think we've got half a million boys and girls registered. It's incredible that it's free. It's local to every kid that's nearby.

"When I was growing up as a footballer, it took quite a lot of travelling and commitment from myself and my family, and I was lucky in that sense. But not everybody has the ability to have that support.

"The fun football sessions are making it a lot easier. It's around the corner, it's inclusive, it's safe, it's fun. I had the pleasure of meeting a lot of kids along the way at the sessions.

"As a kid you love playing football and you love having fun, and we've got pop-up sessions everywhere with proper coaches. I have been really passionate about it and I would have loved to have had this as a kid myself."

Beth Mead was celebrating the latest free wave of McDonald’s Fun Football sessions this Autumn, available to all children aged 5-11 across the UK. Sign up now for your nearest free session at mcdonalds.co.uk/football.