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Fan worship

Prince William didn’t just watch Saturday night’s big England v Switzerland soccer game; he was on the edge of (and out of) his seat as he lived every nail-biting moment of it.

Prince William on July 6, 2024 in Dusseldorf, Germany.

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Cheering, grimacing, and punching the air with joy, he experienced the highs and lows like any other fan as he watched England clinch victory via a penalty shoot-out against Switzerland at the European Championships in Germany.

William is president of the Football Association, but it is his position as the most famous fan of Birmingham-based club Aston Villa, which gives his love for the “beautiful game” an authentic common touch.

Prince William, Prince of Wales and President of The Football Association, congratulates Bukayo Saka.

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The game turned into a thriller after England went down 1-0, but Arsenal player Bukayo Saka, who William was seen embracing afterwards, equalized. The draw led to a penalty shoot-out which England won, prompting William to leap in the air like a kid who’s just seen his favorite superhero come to life.

For English fans at home, the celebrations were wild, with beer flying and chants echoing in pubs and fan zones.

England next face the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday.

King Charles drops pigeon racing

King Charles has ruffled the feathers of the pigeon racing community by withdrawing the monarchy’s official support for the activity amid pressure from animal rights activists.

The royal family’s love affair with pigeon racing, a tradition hatched when Queen Victoria received racing pigeons from Belgium’s King Leopold II in 1886, seems to be fluttering to an end. Caught between tradition and modern ethical concerns, Charles has decided not to take on the patronages held by the late Queen Elizabeth II, including the Royal Pigeon Racing Association and the National Flying Club.

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This decision has sent shockwaves through the pigeon racing world. Paul Naum, treasurer of the National Flying Club, told the Guardian, “We’ve always had a royal patron. It’s a working man’s sport, and now that privilege is gone. In 18 months or two years, they’ll probably dismantle the royal loft.”

The loft at Sandringham, which got a £40,000 facelift in 2015 complete with top-tier nesting boxes, might soon be just a memory.

Animal rights group PETA, who have long criticized pigeon racing as cruel, seem to have influenced the king’s decision.

Ingrid Newkirk, PETA’s founder, praised the king, “thanking him for ending his patronage of pigeon racing clubs that send birds to their death, facing storms and sea crossings in their loyal quest to return to their life partner and young.”

In February, the Royal Pigeon Racing Association denied the sport’s cruelty. Richard Chambers, head of national development, stated, “A pigeon will only do what it wants to do.”

The palace declined to comment to the Guardian.

William to front homelessness documentary

Prince William is coming to a small screen near you. In the fall he will present an ITV documentary, Prince William: We Can End Homelessness, which will feature William’s own efforts to set up his own Homewards program, aimed at eradicating homelessness. People reports the documentary will also look at initiatives aimed at tackling the problem in different parts of the U.K.: Aberdeen, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Lambeth, Newport, Northern Ireland, and Sheffield.

Britain’s Prince William speaks during a visit to Dockhead Fire Station to mark Emergency Services Day (999 Day), in London, Britain, September 9, 2021.

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Homelessness was also a key advocacy issue for Princess Diana; when William and Prince Harry were young, she would take them on unpublicized visits to homeless shelters—and like his mom William became a patron of British charity Centrepoint.

Carole went to Wimbledon. Next, Kate?

Carole and Michael Middleton were two high-profile attendees in the Royal Box at Wimbledon this week. Their appearance gently stoked hopes that daughter Kate, if she feels well enough as she receives treatment for cancer, may attend the Championships (she is patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club)—perhaps even awarding the trophy after the centerpiece Men’s Final scheduled for next Sunday. A source told The Daily Beast earlier this week that she would “dearly love” to be there. Carole and Michael were also at Royal Ascot recently alongside son-in-law William; Kate herself returned to public view at the Trooping the Color ceremony earlier in June.

Carole Middleton and Michael Middleton are seen at the royal box on Wimbledon centre court ahead of the second round match between Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and Britain’s Jacob Fearnley.

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This week in royal history

On July 9, 1982, Buckingham Palace’s most infamous invader, Michael Fagan, confronted the late Queen Elizabeth in her bedroom.