King Charles III met with the Afghan Refugee Women's Cricket Team at Clarence House on Wednesday, where he heard harrowing details of their escape from Afghanistan after receiving death threats from the Taliban. The team, which is not recognised in Afghanistan where women's sport is banned, is in the UK for a series of matches.
Player Firooza Amiri, 21, told the King: 'It has been a very difficult and terrifying journey for all of us. There were a lot of Taliban checkpoints. We thought it’s going to be the last one, we won’t survive any more. But we made it.' The King responded: 'I am so glad you can pursue what you really want to do.'
During the meeting, player Ekil Latifi, 21, asked the King for a 'posh word' like 'lavatory'. Charles laughed and replied: 'I think I would need advance warning for that.' The King also joked about his own cricketing ability, saying: 'I used to play cricket. Very badly!'
The team was formed in 2010 and played international tournaments despite Taliban threats. When the Taliban regained control in 2021, the players' names were circulated on a hit list. An evacuation plan was devised by Australian women, including former cricketer Melanie Jones, who said the Australian SAS helped the players through checkpoints into Pakistan.
Shabnam Ahsan, 18, from Kabul, said it was 'so disappointing' that the team cannot compete in the T20 Women's World Cup hosted by England because they are not recognised by Afghanistan. She added: 'We’re here to fight for them.'
