Prince William has proved himself to be a man of many talents over the years – but his mastery of a popular party game will surprise even the most dedicated royal fans.
With a ‘great aim’, the Prince of Wales was’really good’ at US-born drinking game beer pong, The Mail on Sunday’s Editor-at-Large, Charlotte Griffiths, has recalled.
In fact, he was once such a skilled competitor that, 13 years ago, he successfullytaught Charlotte how to play.
The former Diary Editor, who has been reporting on royalsfor 15 years, met William at a country house party in 2012.
Charlotte told Femail: ‘I was staying at a friend’s house for the weekend and, surprise, surprise, Prince William was there.
‘All the lads started playing beer pong and I didn’t actually know the rules, so I was looking around, not knowing what to do, and there comes my knight in shining armour, Prince William, and he offered to teach me how to play.’
Charlotte said that ‘charming’ William set her up for success by explaining the rules of the game, which challenges players to bounce a ping pong ball into a beer-filled cup.
‘It was when Catherine was expecting Prince George,’ she added. ‘He was so charming and nice.’
Prince William (pictured this month) was not only ‘unfailingly polite and warm’ but also ‘fun’ when Charlotte Griffiths, Mail on Sunday’s Editor-at-Large, met him in 2012
Charlotte (pictured) recalled meeting the Prince of Wales at a country house party. He successfully taught her how to play the US-born drinking game beer pong
Charlotte once encountered the late Prince Philip (pictured in 2000), who couldn’t resist making a quip
Unfazed by the fact that she was a journalist, Charlotte remembers William not only as ‘unfailingly polite and warm’ but also ‘fun’.
But the 2012 house party doesn’t go down as Charlotte’s only unexpected encounter with a senior royal – she once came face-to-face with William’s grandfather, the late Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, who couldn’t resist making a quick quip.
Consort Philip, who gained a reputation for his gaffes during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign, was ‘very, very old’ when the two attended the same private drinks party at the Royal Yacht Squadron in the Isle of White.
Charlotte was nattering away to her best friend, not concentrating on their queue position, when Philip approached the pair.
She recalled: ‘We were just sort of leaning on the bar and chatting and he came up and said: “Are you going to order a drink or are you just propping the bar up?”‘
Despite being initially ‘terrified’ Charlotte and her pal saw the funny side and ‘chuckled’ at the surreal moment – one that she admits she has since ‘dined out on’.
It comes after Prince William took a massive stride forward on his mission to end homelessness in the UK.
The future Kinghas given permission for a site owned by his Duchy of Cornwall estate, which provides funding for the royal’s official and private living costs, to be developed into affordable homes acting as a bridge between supported accommodation and the private rented sector, which can be unstable and unaffordable – particularly in the capital.
Prince William has announced a building owned by the Duchy of Cornwall will be developed into 16 new homes for vulnerable young people in London
The prince, pictured selling the Big Issue with vendor Dave Martin in 2022, has long been determined to work in the field after being taken to homeless projects by his mother Diana
It will see an existing building, 60 Sancroft Street, converted into flats which will be managed by Centrepoint, a charity partner in his ambitious Homewards coalition to end homelessness in six ‘flagship’ areas across the UK, within five years.
The flats in Kennington, south London, will be available for young people who have jobs, as well as those moving to towards employment, in the hope of testing new ways to break the cycle of homelessness amongst youngsters.
The scheme has been green lit by Lambeth Council and the first homes are expected to be delivered by the end of 2026.
It follows similar schemes championed by the future king in Aberdeen, Sheffield and Cornwall.
William’s Royal Foundation has committed to delivering innovative housing projects across each of his six flagship locations – Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, Newport and Northern Ireland as well as Lambeth, Aberdeen and Sheffield.
The prince has long been determined to work in the field after being taken to homeless projects by his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, when he was a young boy.
The announcement follows Prince William’s appearance at the Euros final in Basel, Switzerland, where the Lionesses roared to victory while defending their title as European champions.
Putting his summer break on hold, Prince William attended the final last Sunday as he watched the England squad beat Spain on penalties for a second consecutive victory in the European Championships.
Prince William represented the royal family at Sunday’s Euros final, watching the Lionesses claim victory over Spain. Pictured shaking hands withMichelle Agyemang
Prince William was joined by his daughter Princess Charlotte, 10, as he attended Sunday’s final
Joined by Princess Charlotte, 10, he was clearly invested in the game from the start and later handed out the medals to players on the podium.
A former Football Association (FA)boss later revealed the important role Prince William and Kate played in a crucial moment for women’s football.
Speaking on women’s football podcast That’s So Offside earlier this month, Kelly Simmons OBE recalled the astonishing moment the Prince of Wales helped change the nature of the game forever.
Kelly, who began at the FA in 1991 before becoming Director Of The Women’s Professional Game, had been hoping to secure some investment into the Women’s Super League (WSL) from the ‘all-male’ board to move the game from semi-professional to professional.
At the time, she explained, the FA was a ‘very different organisation’ and they ‘couldn’t really get anybody to believe in’ the WSL.
Speaking to hosts Cece Kane and Abby Dolbear, she said: ‘In that room, of those people, nobody believed that anybody would want to watch it and it couldn’t possibly be commercially viable.
‘And so we went in for money and I’d already been told that they were going to say no, even though it was a good business case.’
But just as she was about to enter the boardroom, the company secretary told her the patron, Prince William, would be there, attending his first board meeting.
Prince William and Charlotte were invested in the action from the start, with Charlotte even giving a double fist pump
Kelly said: ‘I thought, oh my god, humiliation! Not only am I going to get a custard pie, I’m going to get it in front of the future King of England!’
Kelly said she hoped the ground would ‘swallow her up’ as she went in and presented her pitch.
But just before she was about to leave, Prince William had something to say.
He said: ‘Can I just say – I think this is absolutely fantastic. Kate and I are massively supportive of the women’s game and we think this is absolutely brilliant.’
Stunned, the chairman then decided to ask the room what they thought and, agreeing with the future King, everyone said it was ‘fantastic’.
Unable to believe her eyes, Kelly recalled: ‘And out we walked with the money!
‘Which enabled the WSL to really go to that next stage. A friend of mine on the board said they could hear my colleague and I squealing with laughter all the way down the corridor.
‘We would never have got it without Prince William. I’m convinced it wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
‘We were cackling all the way down the corridor! We were extremely smug. So thank you, Prince William. He probably didn’t realise what role he played.’
