‘Unthinkable’ that Prince of Wales and PM would miss England men in World Cup final

It would be “unthinkable” for the Prince of Wales and the Prime Minister to miss England playing in the men’s World Cup final, a former culture minister has said.

In comments that have further stoked the controversy surrounding the Prince and Rishi Sunak’s decision not to attend the women’s final in Sydney, Ed Vaizey urged the pair to change their minds and fly out to Sunday’s event.

The Prince, who is president of the Football Association, has decided to watch the game on television at home with his family.

He is understood to have made the decision not to fly because of the distance involved for such a short trip.

It follows his decision not to travel to Qatar for the men’s World Cup last year.

However, he has come under added pressure to attend after the Queen of Spain confirmed that she would be there to cheer on England’s opponents on Sunday.

The match is expected to be watched by millions of fans across Britain, as the country hopes to have its first World Cup win in nearly 60 years.

Mr Vaizey said on Friday: “PM and Prince William should go to World Cup Final (if there’s still time).

“It would be unthinkable for them to miss a men’s final.”

No protocol issues prevent visit

When members of the Royals family travel to Commonwealth realms on official tours it is on the invitation of the host nation’s government and protocol dictates that the country they are visiting organises the travel.

However, a potential trip to Australia by the Prince would be on behalf of the FA.

But it is understood that it would not be an issue for the Prince to visit Australia before King Charles visits as monarch and because the match is against Spain, there is no issue with protocol regarding heads of state.

The Prince’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, attended the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley and presented Bobby Moore, the victorious England captain, with the trophy.

In June, the Prince visited the England training camp at St George’s Park, in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, to wish the Lionesses good luck in their World Cup campaign.

He surprised Sarina Wiegman, the manager, by presenting her with her honorary CBE before telling the team the “sky is the limit”. He also praised the way that they have advanced women’s sport.

Last July, Princess Charlotte, then seven, joined her father to send the Lionesses a good luck message by video ahead of the women’s Euro 2022 final.

Then, the Prince was in the crowd to see England triumph over Germany.

The Prime Minister has also declined to travel to support the Lionesses.

Instead, James Cleverly, the Foreign Secretary, and Lucy Frazer, the Culture Secretary, will represent the Government.

Tim Hollingsworth, the CEO of Sport England, said on Friday that the Lionesses’ achievements in the World Cup “have the potential to transform gender equality in physical activity for a generation of girls”.

“England’s Lionesses are yet again creating brilliant history.”