Prince Harry ‘substituted by Prince George’ in annual soccer match
The yearly Sandringham football match has historically seen a different line-up, where brothers William and Harry would take to the pitch together, but history has not repeated itself this year
Prince George has replaced Prince Harry as Prince William’s team-mate at the annual Sandringham football game.
For the first time, the 11-year-old played in the yearly festive match alongside his father, showcasing his love for football. The annual competition sees the King’s Sandringham estate workers, neighbouring villagers, and some of the royals have a kick about.
The Prince of Wales even reportedly came close to scoring a goal, whilst his son played enthusiastically. The Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis supportively cheered on from the sidelines.
In the past, Prince William has been joined by his brother, Prince Harry, usually playing on opposing teams. A spectator at this year’s game told The Sun: “It just looked like healthy father and son bonding time.
“There were other children playing and it was all good fun and light-hearted. It is nice that they have returned to take part in the traditional game as they haven’t done so for years.
“But it was interesting to see that Harry has now been substituted by Prince George.” The last time the pair took to the pitch was in 2016.
The brothers broke tradition for the first time in 2015 by playing for the same team. Prince Harry, now based in California, did not make a public appearance at the game.
Royal expert, Jennie Bond, recently told OK! Magazine that Prince Harry and his immediate family’s absence did not come as a surprise to anyone. Bond explained: “Harry and Meghan have chosen a life separate from the rest of the royal family, and as time goes by, I think Harry becomes more and more set on making a happy, settled life in California with his wife and children.
“It may be that he and the King exchanged some form of message at Christmas time, we simply don’t know and it is right that it should remain private. So I don’t think they would have been in the least surprised that they didn’t feature in any way in the celebrations at Sandringham.”
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