The Prince of Wales was with the England team at St George's Park on Monday to present each member of the squad with a shirt ahead of 2022 World Cup.
The heir to the throne is a prominent supporter of the England team in his role as President of the FA and was a notable attendee of England's matches during their run to the final at Euro 2020. However, with his new title as the Prince of Wales there is some conflict of interest, with England facing Wales in a Group B fixture on November 29.
This has drawn criticism from another notable football fan, with Hollywood actor Michael Sheen expressing the view that Prince William should not publicly lend his support to England due to the 'sensitivity' of his new role.
ALSO READ: Gareth Southgate sent Maddison, Mount and Saka World Cup message for England
The actor, who has become known as a passionate supporter of Wales, his home country, quote tweeted a video which showed England players meeting the future King, writing: "He can, of course, support whoever he likes and as President of FA his role makes visit understandable - but surely he sees holding the title Prince of Wales at same time is entirely inappropriate? Not a shred of embarrassment? Or sensitivity to the problem here?"
Sheen is known for his outspoken comments with regards to the Royal Family and returned his OBE in 2017 due to his feelings towards Wales' relationship with the British Empire. In September he appeared on Sky Sports' A League of Their Own, on which he delivered a passionate speech to inspire Wales for the upcoming tournament.
The Prince of Wales is also well known for his support of Welsh sport despite his affiliation to the FA, with the oldest son of King Charles III being patron of the Welsh Rugby Union. He was pictured at the 2015 Rugby World Cup match between England and Wales in a Wales shirt alongside brother Harry who was sporting an England jersey.
And, as if to respond to the criticism, Prince William was visiting Wales for the first time in his capacity as Prince of Wales on Wednesday. He met with Llywydd of the Welsh Parliament Elin Jones and happily spoke about his support not only for England but for Wales too.
He said: "It's ok, I'm telling everyone I'm supporting both, definitely. I can't lose.
"I've supported England since I've been quite small. But I support Welsh rugby and that's my way of doing it. I happily support Wales over England in the rugby so I've got to be able to play carefully with my affiliations.
"I worry otherwise if I suddenly drop England to support Wales then that doesn't look right for the sport either. So I can't do that.
"An England vs Wales World Cup final would be the best, that would be pretty good. I'm making sure I'm out there supporting Wales through all the process because I know it's a big deal for Wales. When I was growing up, Wales weren't getting through to the tournaments, so I had to make a choice."
READ NEXT:
World Cup 2022 supercomputer reveals England chances after Gareth Southgate announces squad
What is the World Cup 2022 opening ceremony time and who is performing?
World Cup squad values revealed as England top list at £1.1bn ahead of Brazil and France
England World Cup fixtures 2022: UK kick-off times and knockout dates
