The Prince of Wales showed he can pack a regal punch this morning, after joining a boxing class while on a charity visit in West London.
William, 42, looked to be enjoying the physical challenge as he showered left and right upper cuts on his sparring partner’s pads as he visited the Ealing branch of Centrepoint.
The royal, attending solo without the Princess of Wales, spent time chatting to young people about the challenges they’ve faced while living on the streets.
One of the UK’s biggest charities for homeless youth, William learned how the services offered at the branch means there are 17 beds for young people aged 16-25 who are experiencing homelessness.
The Prince also indulged another of his passions, playing a spot of table football.
William, famously an Aston Villa fan, looked passionate about the challenge, celebrating when his team appeared to win.
When the game appeared to go his way, the prince, casually dressed in a denim shirt, navy cardigan and navy chinos, teamed with brown casual shoes, high-fived his team mate by way of celebration.
The royal’s visit marked 20 years of William being Patron of the charity and homelessness remains close to his heart.
Prince William wears a pair of boxing gloves during his visit to Centrepoint, a charity which supports homeless youth, in west London on Tuesday
Stress relief! The 42-year-old looked to have a nifty right hook as he showed off his boxing moves during the visit
Put ’em up! Concentrating hard, the prince sparred with one of the trainers during the boxing session
Avid sports fan Prince William spent time after the class chatting with young people affected by homelessness – and helped by Centrepoint
Joining the Boxwise session, the Prince appeared to enjoy the light-hearted sporting class
In 2023, the Prince and Princess of Wales created their own initiative, Homewards, a five-year project to try and alleviate homelessness.
Earlier this week, Prince William’s adoration for the beautiful game was revealed – apparently the heir to the throne uses a ‘secret name’ online to follow the latest Aston Villa news and rumours on fan forums, a fellow supporter has revealed.
The Prince of Wales, a regular visitor to Villa Park with his son Prince George, told how he has taken his fandom to the next level while using a pseudonym to protect his identity online.
William, who is president of the English Football Association, is one of Villa’s most famous supporters and has been spotted on numerous occasions at the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground chatting with boss Unai Emery.
HIs love of the club and of fan message boards was outlined by a fellow ‘Villain’, who spoke to the royal whilst supping some pre-match drinks at a Wetherspoons pub at Birmingham New Street station before their encounter with Everton on Wednesday.
A Patron of Centrepoint for 20 years, the Prince and Princess of Wales created their own initiative, Homewards, a five-year project to try and alleviate homelessness in 2023
The heir to the throne donned a blue denim shirt, navy cardigan and navy chinos for the visit
Taking it seriously: the royal looked like he was up for the fight as he lined up to spar
The prince gets some tuition as he practises his boxing moves
The prince, famously an Aston Villa fan, also played a game of table football while on the charity visit in West London
Goaaal! The royal appeared delighted when his team got on the scoresheet
High five: Prince William and his team-mate celebrate their finesse on the table pitch
In the kitchen of the Ealing Centrepoint service, the Prince enjoyed tea and a biscuit as he discussed the charity’s work
Prince William speaking to young people affected by homelessness on Tuesday
Fan Steve Jones told the Athletic: ‘He said he keeps abreast of Villa gossip because he is on all the fans’ forums.
‘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.’
Mr Jones was contacted by the club to meet William but was not told who he would be meeting, having only been given a time and place.
He and the other fans were told to ‘call him what you want’ as the prince was off duty and there on his ‘own time’.
Jones said: ‘He came in and he wasn’t surrounded by loads of security, just one of his aides.
‘Bold as brass, he introduced himself, shook everyone’s hand and said, “Right, shall we have a round?”.’
William 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 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 our 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.’
While Charlotte and Louis have shown interest in England, they haven’t spoken about supporting a club.
