"It would be a much-appreciated gesture if William attended the semi-final, which is a huge event."

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On Saturday, England beat Norway 2-1 after extra time in Miami, in the biggest game the country has cared about in years, Jude Bellingham scoring both goals in an England run that has been shaky at best.

Norway, Haaland-inspired, had arrived having stunned five-time champions Brazil, the furthest they’d ever gone at a World Cup.

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Yes, he told us he wouldn’t be when he turned up on Travis and Jason Kelce’s New Heights podcast on July 3, of all places, and was asked outright what a successful World Cup would look like for England.

“I think winning it,” he said, no hedging. When Jason pushed on whether that meant he’d actually cross the Atlantic for it, Travis spelled it out: if England makes the final, William comes. William agreed. “Definitely, if we’re in the finals.”

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So Saturday’s quarterfinal was never going to get him on a plane. That win changes the maths, though. England now faces the winner of Argentina vs Switzerland in the semi-final on Wednesday in Atlanta, and if they get through that, it’s the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19, the exact scenario William set as his own condition for making the trip.

Two wins now stand between William and a plane ticket he’s already said, on the record, he’ll book.

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Royal author Richard Fitzwilliams told Celebrity Intelligence that William’s no-show at the Lionesses final “was a clear error of judgement, as has been universally agreed.” But he argues the pattern since then is less about laziness than priorities: William and Catherine “give priority, wherever possible, to bringing up a family,” and have deliberately narrowed their public role down to a handful of causes — Earthshot, mental health and Homewards for William, Early Years for Catherine — rather than the sprawling patronage lists past royals carried.

“It would be a much-appreciated gesture if William attended the semi-final, which is a huge event,” Fitzwilliams added, though he’s doubtful it happens.

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King Alexander, Queen Maxima, and Princess Ariane of the Netherlands at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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King Felipe VI of Spain made the trip to Guadalajara for Spain’s final group match against Uruguay, watching from the stands alongside Royal Spanish Football Federation president Rafael Louzán before heading down to the locker room to congratulate the players and coaching staff on topping the group.

Jordan’s King Abdullah and Prince Hussein were pitchside too, with Abdullah’s granddaughter Princess Iman along for the ride, and Hussein heading down to the locker room to console the Jordanian squad after a defeat.