Will Prince William be at the World Cup? Is FA chairman going to Qatar to support England - what’s been said

The Prince of Wales has confirmed he will not be attending the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

Prince William is the president of the Football Association (FA) and is a big supporter of Aston Villa. He is often seen at football matches with his son Prince George and was in attendance at the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy last summer.

But why is Prince William absent from the World Cup in Qatar and what has been said?

Here is everything you need to know.

Will Prince William be at the World Cup 2022?

Prince William was expected to attend a series of matches throughout the duration of Qatar 2022, however, in an official statement Kensington Palace has confirmed that he will not be attending due to a busy winter schedule.

It is believed that both The Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales are fully booked with commitments for the next six months and that there will be no space for Qatar.

Why is the Qatar 2022 World Cup controversial?

William’s decision to not attend the World Cup comes amid widespread criticism over Qatar’s human rights record and for its views on same-sex relationships.

There has been a great deal of controversy over workers rights in Qatar and the poor conditions that they work in. Jonathan Swain said on Good Morning Britain that the average wage is believed to be “just over a dollar an hour”.

There are also reports of several deaths when building the stadiums. According to the International Trade Union Confederation there could have been up to 7,000 worker deaths in the build up to the World Cup. Qatari officials have denied these claims and stated that there have only been three work-related fatalities.

How have people reacted to Prince William’s decision?

Prince William is yet to comment on the speculation that he won’t attend the Qatar World Cup. However, his decision has been praised by a number of LGBT rights activists.

In 2016, William famously became the first member of the royal family to appear on the cover of well known gay magazine Attitude and during an interview with the magazine he praised the bravery of the LGBT community and stated that “No one should be bullied for their sexuality.

Any form of same-sex relationship is strictly forbidden in Qatar due to it’s strong Islamic views.

Who else will not be attending the tournament in Qatar?

A number of senior figures in British politics have admitted that they would not attend the tournament in Qatar due to its human rights record.

During an interview on LBC, Labour leader Keir Starmer claimed he would not attend the tournament in Qatar even if England were to reach the final of the World Cup. Starmer said: “I’d love to but I think the human rights record is such that I wouldn’t go and that would be the position of the Labour Party.”

Starmer later added that he would not attend any of the fixtures in Qatar and neither would any senior members of the Labour Party.