Prince William attends football game and jokes about his skills during visit to youth hub in Toxteth

The Prince of Wales seemed to be having a ball as he joined in a football game during a visit to Merseyside today. 

Prince William, 42, visited Toxteth, just 30 miles away from Southport, to highlight community initiatives for young people in the region.

It is understood that the royal’s visit to the area, on the same day that child killer Axel Rudakubana was sentenced, is a coincidence.

However, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall have previously demonstrated substantial support for the community. They made a significant visit to Southport in October, during which they interacted with individuals affected by the tragic events of July.

Today at Liverpool Crown Court, Rudakubana was sentenced to a minimum of 52 years after confessing to the murders of three young girls at a dance class inspired by Taylor Swift last year.

Along with meeting privately with the families of the three girls who lost their lives, the royal couple also took the time to converse with the emergency service workers who responded to the scene of the heartbreaking incident the previous July.

Today, the Prince of Wales was surrounded by people waiting for selfies during a visit to Liverpool where he joined a football game watched by former player and manager Sir Kenny Dalglish at the Tiber Young People’s Steering Group. 

Locals braved the cold in Toxteth to take photos with William and shake his hand after he visited two community groups that support young people.

However, despite his clear enjoyment for the game, William was quick to make a light-hearted joke about his sporting abilities. 

Asked about his involvement in the football game he played with young people at the centre, the prince said: ‘We’ll ignore that. It is the worst thing when you turn up and try to play cold.’ 

He took a tour of the centre, which is due to be completed in February with the help of funding from The Royal Foundation’s community impact programme, met young people involved in fundraising for the project and joined in a game of football before meeting Sir Kenny and former Everton players Ian Snodin and Graham Stuart.

They discussed football, with William telling former Liverpool striker and manager Sir Kenny that his former team would probably ‘steamroll everyone’ as they sit top of the Premier League, before Stuart joked it could ‘come off the rails’ when they next face Everton.

The royal was engulfed by people as he left the new Tiber community and football centre in Tagus Street before making his way to a waiting car.

Earlier on Thursday, William’s first stop was Cycle of Life, a non-profit cycling organisation, supported by BBC Children in Need, which works to help young people from diverse backgrounds improve their physical and mental health, as well as boost their employment opportunities.

William smiled as he watched young people build and maintain bikes during the visit today.

William, dressed in a smart bottle green overshirt, brown jumper, and blue shirt, met students on the Cycle of Life scheme and observed their entrepreneurial cargo bikes in action.

At Cycle of Life, he pumped up a bicycle tyre and enjoyed a hot chocolate as he met young people who had been helped by the initiative which was set up in 2020.

As he tested the brakes on the bike he worked on, he said he believed the correct way to stop was to squeeze both brakes at the same time, but joked his children like to do things differently.

He said: ‘My children quite like pulling just the back brake and sliding along. Usually the back wheel will come past you. There is a technique.’

William was due to join a short bike ride from the centre in Princes Road but it was cancelled due to heavy rain and wind.

It’s been a sporty week for the royal, as William was spotted in the stands watching Aston Villa’s Champions League defeat to Monaco in the Principality on Tuesday night.

The boyhood Villa fan has been a frequent fixture for his side’s European travails, first taking in their historic return to the competition at the start of the season against Bayern Munich at Villa Park.

The Prince of Wales was delighted to admit that he had lost his voice cheering on the Birmingham-based club’s first home game in Europe’s elite competition for 41 years, as he noted that he ‘couldn’t quite believe’ Unai Emery’s side had pulled off the 1-0 win.

The 42-year-old is also a regular visitor – schedule permitting – to the training ground Bodymoor Heath and has been caught in conversation with Emery and his players.

But the prince cut a somewhat more nervous presence on Tuesday evening on the French Riviera, as Emery’s side went 1-0 behind after just eight minutes.

Prince William had made the short trip across the Channel just hours after visiting Centrepoint’s Ealing service and meeting with people supported by the homelessness charity. 

Also in attendance at the Stade Louis II was Prince Albert II, supporting his local side in the company of the club’s president and owner, Dmitry Rybolovlev.

But as well as travelling to support Villa in Europe, the future king has mixed and mingled with fans at top flight games.

Last week saw Prince William buy a round for Villa fans waiting for matchday at a Wetherspoons near Birmingham New Street Station ahead of their Premier League clash with Everton.

He bought a round of beers for eight Villa fans and sipped a pint of Bulmers cider, staying for around half an hour before catching a train back to London.

Steve Jones, 56, Villa fan for last 35 years, said: ‘We were contacted by the club saying Prince William wanted to meet a delegation of Villa fans as he was in Birmingham as he wanted to keep in the loop with everything going on at Villa.

‘He was fantastic. I was quite amazed about how engaged he was with the club, his interest. He’s not a fair weather fan. He really loves the club with a passion.

‘We spoke about the club, the transfers, the pending Champions League trip to Monaco, and all things Aston Villa. He asked many questions – he’s got a good level of interest. 

‘It was 95 per cent chat about Villa as that’s out shared interest but a bit about his family. Young George is a Villa fan but he didn’t want all three to be Villa fans.

‘He was massively interested and seemed a really genuine guy and all he wanted to do is talk about Villa.

‘He said he was hopeful about beating Everton tonight and would be watching but was wary about new manager syndrome, or rather old manager syndrome.’

The prince got his wish, with Villa running out the 1-0 winners courtesy of a 51st-minute goal by Ollie Watkins.

Jones also revealed that Prince William is a habitue of Villa fan forums in a bid to ‘keep abreast of Villa gossip’.

‘He goes under different names and he posts on there because that’s how he gets the feeling of what’s going on and what’s the opinion,’ Jones added.