The Punch of Wales! William pulls on gloves and spars with boxer

The Prince of Wales pulled on a pair of boxing gloves and showed off his fighting skills at a sports charity backed by his own foundation.

William sparred during the trip to Coach Core, a training organisation based at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London.

During a visit to mark the charity’s 10th anniversary, the Prince of Wales said that sport provided “hope, connection and opportunity”.

Kate, tried wheelchair bowls and her husband could not resist a penalty challenge.

In his speech, the prince spoke of the “incredible achievements” of the organisation which trains coaches who will then work in their communities.

Jabs and combos

The prince showed off his skills in front of Gabrielle Reid, 18, and Joshua Jones, 21, who are two months into their Coach Core courses and took it in turns to give William a few hints.

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Ms Reid, from Bournemouth, watched as William snapped out the jabs and combination shots. “He picked it up very fast, and he said he had boxed before,” she said. “I didn’t have to teach him much. I’m not going to forget this experience, it was crazy.”

Mr Jones added: “I just went over the fundamentals of boxing. I showed him the jab, backhand and I showed him how to throw a one-two, and his stance and guard.

“He enjoyed it, he said he’d done a bit a before but had a little knuckle injury so wouldn’t be taking it up any time soon.”

In his speech William said: “Sport has an incredible way of providing hope, connection and opportunity and when Coach Core was established ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012, it was designed to use that power to help change young people’s lives.

“Since then, more than 750 young people have been supported through the programme, with 600,000 sports sessions delivered to eight million participants.

“We are both so proud of all the remarkable progress that has been made. To all the Coach Core apprentices, we want to say well done and also thank you.

“We all face barriers and challenges in life, and these can sometimes take incredible bravery to overcome. Not only have you faced these down, you have positively impacted the lives of others along the way and inspired many more.”

Letting out a groan

Kate made up a team of three for a game of wheelchair bowls, and laughed as her effort rolled past the jack. Her second attempt also missed the target.

William, who is president of the Football Association, stood behind a ball and eyed a goal with targets in the net and said: “To get it in there is good enough”, but groaned as his first shot missed the target. His second effort was closer.

The princess spoke to Scott Cooper, 26, from Grays, Essex, who completed his Coach Core programme and is now a youth worker with Barking and Dagenham Council.

Mr Cooper, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair, said: “I was telling her I wanted to inspire people with disabilities, and she said that I would be an inspiration because of the way I showed grit and determination.”

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