If I’m honest, it felt like a bit of an own goal from the palace.

Yes, you’d expect Prince William as president of the FA to visit the England team before they set off for Qatar, but where was his visit to see the Wales team? He is now, after all, the Prince of Wales.

As he visited the Senedd in Cardiff, the heart of Welsh democracy, his team no doubt keen to avoid any tricky political conversations in public, it was the other controversial subject of football that it seems tripped him up.

His advisers would argue that he has always very publicly been an England supporter, and would we really expect him to completely change allegiances.

But on a day which was billed as a chance for him to find out what really matters to people in Wales, and an important moment for building connections, he could have done more to show support for the national team.

This tournament is a big deal for the Wales side. It is the first time they’ve reached the World Cup in 64 years.

And that may be a problem for William and his team, as it’s opened up the debate about his title to a much bigger audience.

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It certainly feels like it’s played perfectly into the hands of those who don’t want him to be the Prince of Wales.

‘It’s like an open wound’

In the days after the King gave him the title, more than 30,000 people signed an online petition against it.

Elfed Wyn ap Elwyn, a Plaid Cymru councillor in North Wales, raised a motion in Gwynedd Council to have the title abolished.

He told me he wouldn’t welcome William on a visit and there’s not much the Prince can do to win him over.

“The historical aspect of the whole thing is, it’s like an open wound. You know, a lot of people still see the title of a Prince of Wales as a symbol of Wales being subjugated,” he said.

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“Everything from the Welsh Nots, to people denying Wales as a country. It feels like the idea of a Prince of Wales represents all of that.

“There’s nothing really that the title represents that is Wales. It doesn’t represent the culture. It doesn’t represent the language. It just doesn’t represent the nation, and it’s time for it to be abolished.”

Welsh Nots were wooden boards designed to be worn around the neck of schoolchildren in the 19th century in a bid to shame them from speaking Welsh.

I’m told that William, when it comes to his new role, wants to do the right thing, he wants to be authentic and deepen the trust and respect of the people of Wales over time.

But as emotions build ahead of the first World Cup games, there will be those who’ll be thinking if he isn’t supporting the team, is he really one of them?

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