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Prince William, as President of the FA, was expected to attend the Women’s World Cup, but could not attend for unconfirmed reasons.
This decision led to a lot of criticism directed towards the Prince of Wales, 41, especially when Queen Letizia of Spain attended to support the Spanish football team.
Before the match, William released a video to his social media channels with his daughter Princess Charlotte, eight.
The duo wished the Lionesses “good luck” in the garden of their Norfolk home Anmer Hall where the Wales family watched the match.
Judi James, a body language expert, spoke exclusively to Express.co.uk to analyse the father-daughter duo as they wished the Lionesses “good luck”.
She commented: “William’s no-show at the World Cup final on Sunday has focused criticism on this short and rather sweet video of father and daughter wishing the Lionesses luck.
“Charlotte is emerging as a true star of the Firm and her beaming smile here (that makes her look so much like the late Queen as a young girl) and her growing confidence as a royal are a joy to watch.
“Back in 2022, the same double-act were throwing good wishes for the Euro final in a similar video, with Charlotte tailing the action and waving at the camera.
“Clearly the thought was to do the same again but now William is sadly being accused by some people of using his daughter to deflect criticism.”
The body language expert staunchly defended the Prince of Wales’s decision to make a video with his daughter.
Judi claimed: “It’s possible that whatever choice William made, he would have been criticised at this stage, but given his track record he’s not exactly the kind of weak man who would force his daughter out in front of the camera to save his popularity.
“And Charlotte deserves a bit of kudos, too. She’s clearly a sports fan as we saw when she was out of her seat cheering on the tennis players at Wimbledon.
“She looks like a huge fan of the Lionesses and we can see her eye movement and her fun version of a serene royal smile suggesting she’s not only waiting for her cue to speak, she’s eager and impatient to take over from her dad.
“If we suggest William was ‘hiding’ behind Charlotte here we suggest she’s not the kind of girl who might have insisted on doing her bit for the Lionesses and who might be delighted to have her moment of sporting supported glory, too.
“This was clearly an important moment for her and that smile of joy should be encouraged.
“William just looks proud and fond of his daughter rather than grateful she’s letting him off the hook. If fans do have a gripe about his decision to not attend it’s fairer to keep Charlotte’s name out of their mouths.
“She’s a happy, excited young sporting fan here, just as she was at the Euros. Her enthusiasm looks totally authentic and she always looks confident enough to have made her own mind up about revving on the team.”
