This is the adorable moment Prince William was excitedly asked if the Princess of Wales had joined him on his trip by young girls in Saudi Arabia.
The Prince of Wales, 41, met youngsters on Tuesday from youth squads in Riyadh as they took part in training drills on the pitch at MISK Sports City. However, there was one big question on the girls' minds - namely, that they hoped to meet a real-life Princess.
After posing for a group photograph, which ended with the shout, "1, 2, 3, Saudia!", the girls gathered around the Prince to ask some questions. "Did Princess Kate come with you?" asked one, giving a disappointed "Oh!" when William said she didn’t.
Told he should bring his family to Saudi Arabia, he replied: "They would love it here. Will you show them how to play football? My children love football, but you guys are another level. I can see you guys will be at the World Cup very soon and then you’re going to make me feel very old."
© Alamy Stock PhotoWatch the video above to see William speak about the Princess of Wales.
Delighted reactions
Afterwards, a clip of the Prince's conversation went viral on social media, racking up more than 100,000 views. One royal fan gushed: "A reminder that wherever he goes, the Princess of Wales is never far from people’s hearts."
Another found the video relatable and also expressed a wish to meet the Princess, writing: "Same, girls," while more shared replies using heart emojis.
© Getty ImagesWilliam's visit to Saudi Arabia
The Prince of Wales is currently on his final day of his trip to Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, he spent the day in Riyadh learning about the strides women have been taking since the opening up of Saudi society, spearheaded by its ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Saudi women have seen greater freedoms introduced since the crown prince came to power in 2017 – the following year, women were legally allowed to drive, and they can now also travel, work, and obtain passports without male guardian permission.
© Getty ImagesOn Wednesday, the Prince of Wales shared his excitement about efforts to conserve wildlife in the desert on the final day of his trip to Saudi Arabia. William met rangers at the private Sharaan Nature Reserve in Al Ula, a 7,000-year-old archaeological area in Saudi’s Medina region - one of the Kingdom’s "crown jewels" of its cultural transformation plans.
William, wearing navy chinos, a khaki shirt and brown walking boots, said: "The local community are used to what they’ve got - unless you show them something different, they don’t know what to do."
Referring to the regeneration project, he said: "That they have a vision to do this is really exciting. The tourism will come. What I find so exciting is it’s so new, this all started in 2019, it’s going to be so exciting to see all the progress. So many others will say, "if Saudi Arabia can do it, we can do it."
