Prince William has made a rare radio appearance, just hours before his estranged brother Prince Harry carries out an engagement with Meghan Markle.
The Prince of Wales spoke with BBC Asian Network Breakfast host Nikita Kanda outside Buckingham Palace, with the interview being pre-recorded following William’s cricket match on the Mall on Tuesday.
Preparing for Mumbai trip
Speaking ahead of his trip to Mumbai for the Earthshot Prize, he said: “I’m really looking forward to the vibe. It’s one of the most vibrant cities I’ve ever been to.
“The love of cricket out there is phenomenal, I’ve never known anything like it. And I love my sport. Obviously football is my number one, but seeing how the Indians love their cricket.”
It comes after William was seen playing cricket with sports legends along the Mall. He added: “This felt like a really fun thing to do, to get some of the icons of cricket on the Mall, in an iconic situation, to get everyone excited about Earthshot coming to Mumbai.”
Cricket match on the Mall
During their chat, William also revealed that he does not have a tolerance for spicy food, saying: “My spicy food intake is pretty limited. I just start sweating, it’s terrible!”
The interview took place shortly after William was joined by a group of cricket stars for a game in front of Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
Ahead of the Earthshot Prize Awards in India, William was joined by the likes of England test captain Joe Root, former India captain Sourav Ganguly and West Indies legend Brian Lara to mark the start of the countdown to the environmental awards next month.
Also joining them on the Mall was England women’s captain Nat Sciver-Brunt, Harry Brook, and radio host Greg James. Dressed in navy chinos and brown suede trainers, William took off his jacket to play on the impromptu pitch on the Mall for around 10 minutes, faring considerably better at his batting than bowling.
Sussexes' joint appearance
After the game, Root, Lara and Ganguly gave their assessments of his skills. Root said: “His batting was pretty good to be fair; I think he’s definitely a batter rather than a bowler, but he played some lovely shots. There’s a lot to work with there.”
The radio appearance comes just hours before Harry and Meghan are set to make their first joint appearance since returning to the UK.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, relocated to Britain in late August after spending six years in California.
Since their return, Harry has been spotted at a selection of events, while Meghan has remained under the radar.
But today, Harry and Meghan will start their day with a joint public appearance at the Community Recording Studio (CRS) in St Ann’s, before heading to Himmah Hub, a food poverty community action group.
