Prince William recruited his daughter for a video apologizing to the English women’s soccer team after fans blasted him for missing the team’s first World Cup final this weekend in Australia.
“Lionesses, we want to send you a huge good luck for tomorrow,” William says in a less than 15-second video posted to his official Twitter and Instagram accounts. “We’re sorry we can’t be there in person, but we’re so proud of everything you’ve achieved and the millions you’ve inspired here and around the world.”
“Good luck, Lionesses!” chimes in his 8-year-old daughter, Princess Charlotte, who sits next to him in the video holding a soccer ball.
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The Prince of Wales sparked outrage this week when he announced he would not be attending the team’s historic final against Spain. The match will take place Sunday in Sydney, Australia, following four weeks of intense competition and a dramatic 3-1 defeat of the Australian women’s national team in a semifinal Wednesday.
William tweeted his congratulations to the team after the semifinal, but Kensington Palace confirmed later he would not be flying to Australia to cheer them on in the final. According to The Independent, William made the decision out of concern over the environmental impact of taking such a long flight.
But fans pointed out that William is president of the Football Association, the governing body of professional soccer in England, and reportedly planned to attend the men’s World Cup last year if the team made it to the finals. (The Lions only made it to the quarterfinals, where they were bested by the French.)
Mandy Reid, the leader of the Women’s Equality Party, tweeted on Wednesday: “No chance that Prince William would be ‘missing in action’ if the England men’s football team made it to the World Cup final.”
Queen Letizia of Spain is expected to be at the match, where Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer will represent the British government, according to The Guardian. William’s late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II attended the men’s World Cup final in 1966—the first (and last) time the England men’s team won the title.
Unfortunately for William, the video doesn’t seem to be doing much to appease his detractors.
“With respect, YRH, you should have got on a plane,” tweeted British broadcaster Piers Morgan. “Ridiculous that the Queen of Spain is attending the World Cup Final to support her nation’s team, and you won’t be there despite being President of the FA.”
