Several of these photos are going in my permanent rotation, like last year’s Brazilian volleyball pics, just FYI. These pics are from Tuesday, where Prince William blocked off a good chunk of the Mall, just outside Buckingham Palace, all so he could have a big photo-op. He played cricket with some professional cricket players from England and India, all to highlight Earthshot. While cricket has nothing to do with environmentalism, I think William’s intention was to draw attention to India’s favorite sport ahead of India “hosting” the Earthshot Prize ceremony next month. As for these photos, if you look past William, in the distance, you can see the barricades which were set up on both sides of the street. The barricades were almost entirely empty. The Royal Way™ is to play cricket with no one watching, obviously. If only tumbleweeds saw the stunt, did the stunt really happen? Well, according to Tom Sykes, William’s big cricket photo-op is the biggest thing to ever happen and Willy completely overshadowed Prince Harry’s Nottingham trip (which is still scheduled for Thursday).
This morning, at about half past eleven, the Prince of Wales walked out of St James’s Palace and onto The Mall, where the traffic had been ordered to a halt so that he could play a game of cricket for charity.
Yes, The Mall itself had been turned at William’s behest, into a cricket pitch. Waiting for him were Joe Root, the England captain, Brian Lara, Sourav Ganguly and Ajinkya Rahane, assembled to promote next month’s Earthshot Prize in Mumbai. William batted (Ganguly’s verdict: “He batted alright”), bowled several balls, posed for the team photograph, and then wandered over to the St James’s Park side to shake hands and shoot selfies with tourists.
That is what a proper royal engagement looks like: closed roads, photographers in their pens, police on the barricades. The cricketing greats of two nations cleared their diaries to make time for the future king, and the vast machinery of the state and its bureaucracy turned, for a morning, to the business of making a fantastical vision on the part of the heir to the throne come alive.
Keep that picture in mind on Thursday when Harry and Meghan go to Nottingham.
On paper it looks much the same as a typical royal job: a visit to a city, a handful of charities and organizations working with young people, a community recording studio Harry has been to before. The royal rota (yes, that royal rota, the one they denounced as little more than a PR arm of the palace and swore never to work with again) has been invited along.
But it will not, on the ground, feel the same, because this is not an official royal engagement, as the Lord Chamberlain’s letter last month, sent on the King’s instruction, made clear. All is being paid for by Harry and Meghan themselves. It is a simulacrum of a royal engagement, cobbled together at their own expense, whose purpose seems largely to be to persuade the public that Harry and Meghan are still important people, when the simple fact is they are not.
Just a reminder: when Prince Harry visited the UK – with stops in London and Nottingham – in September 2025, he drew large crowds and overwhelmingly positive coverage, and William had a nervous breakdown about it. This Mall stunt was William’s attempt to mitigate a repeat of that this week, only William is Boo Boo the Fool because only tumbleweeds swung by for a few minutes. Those emotional-support polls can only do so much when the barricades are empty at event after event, you know?
The crowd control barriers may have no crowd to control but they are useful in any PR stunt
#billyidle #greenwashing #earthshot https://t.co/MiJZ9tIYkX
— #NotMyKing (@NoKingCharlie) October 13, 2026
How to clear the Mall at top speed
He looks around for his audience and sees nobody at all
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶 https://t.co/hHi27mkndw— #NotMyKing (@NoKingCharlie) October 14, 2026
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- The Prince of Wales joins cricketing stars from the UK and India at a special Earthshot Prize event on The Mall, in London, to celebrate ties between the two nations ahead of the Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards Night in Mumbai in November Featuring: Prince William Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince of Wales joins cricketing stars from the UK and India at a special Earthshot Prize event on The Mall, in London, to celebrate ties between the two nations ahead of the Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards Night in Mumbai in November Featuring: Prince William Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince of Wales joins cricketing stars from the UK and India at a special Earthshot Prize event on The Mall, in London, to celebrate ties between the two nations ahead of the Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards Night in Mumbai in November Featuring: Prince William Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince of Wales joins cricketing stars from the UK and India at a special Earthshot Prize event on The Mall, in London, to celebrate ties between the two nations ahead of the Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards Night in Mumbai in November Featuring: Prince William Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- The Prince of Wales joins cricketing stars from the UK and India at a special Earthshot Prize event on The Mall, in London, to celebrate ties between the two nations ahead of the Earthshot Prize Summit and Awards Night in Mumbai in November Featuring: Prince William Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- William, Prince of Wales joins cricketing stars from the United Kingdom and India at a special Earthshot Prize event hosted on The Mall, London Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images
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- William, Prince of Wales joins cricketing stars from the United Kingdom and India at a special Earthshot Prize event hosted on The Mall, London Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images
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- William, Prince of Wales joins cricketing stars from the United Kingdom and India at a special Earthshot Prize event hosted on The Mall, London Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Oct 2026 Credit: Cover Images
Classic photos of scooter like his pointing and shouting
While wearing terrible shoes! 🙄
And rictus grin.
They even paid EXTRA for Earthshot-branded barrier covers (or whatever they’re called)
😂😂😂😂
@Lorelei bwahahaha so true! The Earshot (typo but I’m keeping it) banners are hilarious with no crowd and the event’s zero relevance to that org. And the walk on by music with a guy in the background just… walking on by LOL. They are all trolling him.
His form facing the ball looked ok. But drawing back to play the ball, omfg that’s awful. But the threw him a super soft ball and he still looked awkward.
This guy isn’t good at sport. He’s too weird and awkward. I don’t like making excuses for this toe rag but I wonder if he was SO coddled, even in normal sport at school, he wasn’t able to learn. Nkw he’s terrible at everything. Harry wasn’t babied plus he loves sport.
He is extremely awkward when playing sports, it is difficult to watch.. this stunt certainly did not stir enough interest for people to waste their time watching even with professional cricket players showing up. It’s completely delusional to think this will over shadow anything the Sussex’s do, but Willy lives in his own delusional world.
It takes a real snob like Tom Sykes to make not taking public money sound like a bad thing. “All is being paid for by Harry and Meghan themselves”, he snarls, because spending your own money that you worked for is disgusting, apparently.
So, let me get this straight: William’s stunt used taxpayer money to close down a public square in order to benefit his own organization. The Sussex event, which as Sykes so helpfully points out costs the public nothing, is more likely to benefit the community and the organization. One takes, the other gives. I doubt that most people who attend the Nottingham event to see Harry and Meghan will care that it’s not approved by the Lord Chamberlain.
Sykes often has a direct line into KP, and evidently this is the new narrative they’re trying to push.
Yeah, I don’t think the point he was trying to make was made. Bragging that your event is the one that takes tax payer money is not it.
Yeah that stood out to me too. Closing down a public street (assuming its a public street), having police officers on standby for “crowd control” etc is all a good thing but Harry and Meghan visiting charities and non profits on their own dime is a bad thing?
He’s definitely not making the point he thinks he is.
This had been the narrative all along. Omg they’ll be flipping burgers and begging because they’re useless. Then once they began making a hundred million plus a lot more, then making money is dirty and pathetic. Stealing 500 million plus billions a year is much more royal. They can’t help themselves . Sadly, that narrative is swallowed.
Mind-boggling.
He is also so desperately trying to declare that Harry and Meghan are “not important people” when the press and public cannot get enough of them. Sykes is wet toilet paper stuck to the dirty ground of the public toilets. He’s a nasty, filthy, gross glob that everyone tries to avoid.
If this is how Sykes thinks things should “properly” be done, I’d like to hear his explanation for the fake-ass farm shop video.
I’ve been completely offended by the things he’s said about Meghan. Loserville dude. He’s a shapeshifter.imo Here, he seems to be mocking Prince William. Sykes writes about the Sussexses all the time. He needs to take a break. They haven’t hurt him. Agree @Lorelei.
I’m just laughing at how this royal engagement was done! The music choice of, Walk On BY, is epic in that one video. Kudos to that person.
Said it before, and I’ll say it again. If people were truly honest with themselves, which brother would you want to have beer with. Simple. Who would you rather sit with, Harry/William/Kate/Meghan? I know my answers.
Ok Tom Sykes…lol
His form facing the ball looked ok. But drawing back to play the ball, omfg that’s awful. But the threw him a super soft ball and he still looked awkward.
This guy isn’t good at sport. He’s too weird and awkward. I don’t like making excuses for this toe rag but I wonder if he was SO coddled, even in normal sport at school, he wasn’t able to learn. Now he’s terrible at everything. Harry wasn’t babied plus he loves sport.
His posture is horrendous in general. The neck bends forwards, shoulders rounding inwards as if the guy was bent over his mobile all day and night. No tension, only his contempt for his brother seems to keep him upright. So rich, and so poor!
Yes, indeed, but in cricket terms, facing the ball he looked ok. Loads of cricketers are tall and bats, what not are all same size. But as soon as he goes to attempt to play an obvious easy throw, he just can’t. He has no form. It suggests he’s never learned to play that or anything other than polo.
Harry is an athlete, but he also learned. He knows how to learn new things from all his years of learning. Many people never learn brand new things as 30 plus and Harry has constantly: writer, producer, mental health advocate, business owner, angel investor, etc. . That’s incredible intelligence and using neuroplasticity. Willy can’t do anything! He’s tall, had a good physique, had athletic qualities, had access to all the training in the world and he’s incapable.
I think part of the awkwardness is that William appears to be posing more than playing. Look at the shot of him holding up the bat and baring his teeth – it looks like he held that one for a little while.
Yes you’re right. But ok I’ll say harry again, when he’s doing sport for camera, he does the correct actions because he knows what to do. Cricketers do this all the time for photo ops. Playing an easy ball for the camera is easy, if you know what you’re doing. If you don’t know, then there’s that. He’s never had an interest in anything and it shows. He would have been a natural cricketer physically but again, he’s never had to do anything and can’t do anything.
He played some sports throughout school – i think most notably water polo – and there were stories about him playing soccer or rugby (cant remember which) BUT if I remember correctly…..there were also stories about other teams being afraid to properly defend him or block him etc because of his status and i think there were rumors about him threatening others with his security team? But it runs together now.
so I think its a combination – he never played a sport like cricket so doesnt know what he’s doing, when he did play a sport like soccer he wasn’t able to properly learn it because of how coddled he was (and he probably has no idea that he did not properly learn), and he’s just generally awkward in front of the cameras.
But what I don’t get is that no one is making him do this. No one is making him play cricket in the middle of london on a closed off street with barriers for spectators and a full army of photographers. he looks ridiculous but whose fault is that at this point? (and also there’s a way to participate in an event like this without being an expert at the sport and to sort of laugh at yourself and play off your ineptitude, but he’s not doing that either.)
I keep thinking of that balance beam stunt with all those people lined up ready to catch William. He was wearing a helmet and there was no point to it at all. Then you look at Harry doing the obstacle course with James Corden. Night and day difference. William has never been taught to do things on his own. Any success he has is a result of being propped up by others. It’s a sad life.
Yes indeed. I remember water polo too.
He would have played cricket at school. But he’s not interested in being good at anything. Because he didn’t have to. He was never pushed at anything. He’d be a joke on a rugby field. Imagine having access to the best everything in the world and choosing- nothing. I will be good at nothing. Harry had to work because he wasn’t treated that way. And it shows.
@Chiron – this “Imagine having access to the best everything in the world and choosing- nothing.” is what drives me CRAZY about W&K. They have access to the best of everything – behind the scenes tours of the world’s greatest museums, any expert on any topic they want to learn about, any sport they want to try, any hobby or craft they want to try, anything. Kate “likes to cook” so we’re told – she could take cooking lessons with the best chefs in the world. William could take lessons in whatever sport or activity he wanted by the top coaches in the world.
And instead they choose…..nothing. What a waste.
Why 8s his face so tanned?
Oops…is
This is the most natural I’ve ever seen William “at play”.
I don’t understand why KP didn’t promote this engagement. If they had there would have been a lot more people.
I was hoping you would include the photo in which he makes pretend goggles around his eyes with his hands.
Looking for the non-existent crowds???
My son plays cricket and I’m willing to bet he would find this whole stunt pathetic.
His form sucks, is my very non professional opinion. He has a good physique for cricket but he’s clueless. An elegant batsman in flight is a thing of true beauty. He’s, not that. Lol he doesn’t know what hes doing.
“That is what a proper royal engagement looks like: closed roads, photographers in their pens, police on the barricades. The cricketing greats of two nations cleared their diaries to make time for the future king, and the vast machinery of the state and its bureaucracy turned, for a morning, to the business of making a fantastical vision on the part of the heir to the throne come alive.“
— These people are off their rockers. Their brains have been poisoned by a toxic, steady drip of post-empire nostalgia. Someone, please get them help.
he really does sound unhinged. I think H&M returning to the UK broke something in him. he was off his rocker before but now it’s extreme.
And i mean….what a good use of the “vast machinery of the state”….to make William’s every wish come true. And yesterday he wished to play cricked in the middle of London.
I can’t get it over the fact that this jackass called for city street in central London to be blocked off so he could pretend to play cricket, all by himself, just to show that he’s “more entitled and more Royal than H & M?” London traffic is chaotic at the best of times, and blocking traffic off just for another self-indulgent photo-op is insane or am I missing something?
No, it’s insane.
I can’t get it over the fact that this jackass called for city street in central London to be blocked off so he could pretend to play cricket, all by himself, just to show that he’s “more entitled and more Royal than H & M?” London traffic is chaotic at the best of times, and blocking traffic off just for another self-indulgent photo-op is insane or am I missing something?
“That is what a proper royal engagement looks like: closed roads, photographers in their pens, police on the barricades. The cricketing greats of two nations cleared their diaries to make time for the future king, and the vast machinery of the state and its bureaucracy turned, for a morning, to the business of making a fantastical vision on the part of the heir to the throne come alive.“
They think his is a good thing?!?!!?!?
Exactly. This easily could have been done literally anywhere else (and gotten the same photo op!), but instead they inconvenienced the highest number of people possible so Bill could feel important.
I’d be so pissed if I was a commuter and lost hours because of this utter nonsense. That I was helping to pay for.
“But it will not, on the ground, feel the same, because this is not an official royal engagement, as the Lord Chamberlain’s letter last month, sent on the King’s instruction, made clear. All is being paid for by Harry and Meghan themselves.”
— Quelle horreur! It’s only legit if you taxpaying chumps pay for the show!
“It is a simulacrum of a royal engagement, cobbled together at their own expense, whose purpose seems largely to be to persuade the public that Harry and Meghan are still important people, when the simple fact is they are not.”
— Right: that’s why you obsessively cover them.
Yes, Sykes has completely lost the plot. When did Harry and Meghan say they were doing “royal” instead of “private” or “charitable” events?
But also. Kate and Charlotte were riding around on the tube at the same time. They didn’t go to cheer on William at his “royal” event. Why? And did they tell William’s driver to pick them up at Forest Lodge, drop them off at the metro for a ride of a few stops before the big black car picked them up again?
I don’t understand why someone on his staff (or is it W and no one can say no?) keeps putting him in random sports photo ops to “promote” Earthshot. What was the point of shutting down the road for a brief photo ops? It’s a childlike view of what’s happening. “I was in Brasil and they play beach volleyball. I’ll play volleyball too!” “England and India both like cricket! I’ll play cricket in front of Buckingham Palace.” It’s weird. Is this the “hot (gross) single dad redux”? And I still don’t know anything about past winners of Earthshot.
No wonder they freaked out when Harry left if these are the genius ideas they have to work with. Should have shut W down years ago (“I’m the oldest so therefore the most clever and everything I do is brilliant!”) but no, they’re stuck with weird stunts and a disinterested populace.
@Calliope, I have nothing to add, this is a perfect comment
It should be crickets, plural, because this stunt drew almost no attention, except from the rota stenographers.
😝😂
LMFAO!!
All these stupid, meaningless skits of him playing at sport, watching sports events, drinking and pretending to serve other people food and drink, preening in front of celebs and ignoring his wife to the extent Tom Cruise has to help her up stairs… What is it all for? Why doesn’t he commit to serious work events that don’t look like jollies? He’s in his mid forties and his dad wasn’t doing light weight stuff like that when he was the same age and was also PoW.
he was diana’s golden child, he blew it all up himself. no pity for him not having the crowds he wants.
If this is supposed to be for charity, then why not have a real cricket game where people buy tickets? If they really wanted to make it go, then have Harry on one team and Billy Idle on the other. Muah ah. I bet that would raise some money and eyebrows.
And doesn’t cricket take all day? This wasn’t cricket for charity, unless the charity was Earthsh*t, and it wasn’t really cricket, either.
@KC2, unfortunately, it’s that kind of pragmatic, actually-useful and actually-interesting suggestion that will disqualify you from ever taking a job at KP!
Firstly, how dare you. William would have to make an effort for more than 15 minutes, and with some forewarning the poor sausage could be booed, or the pro players might not go so easy on him, and worst of all, the money might go to charity and not into his own pockets. Disgusting!
Shame on me for forgetting. I would love the job of Princess of Wales for a month. Yes, the clothes, but there is so much the nincompoop could do that would be fun and have such an impact. Ugh.
It appears that William is becoming a waste of skin as well as a waste of money. Tons of people inconvenienced and everyone scratching their heads as to what this is all about. How about going to an actual cricket game? I must say William’s PR people seem also to be ineffectual idiots. I’d be ashamed to own all these stunts.
Seeing all those barricades with absolutely NOBODY there is hilarious! The Other Brother has no real fans, friends, or supporters (not even cousins?) who would turn up to make the photo op look at least half decent? I’d feel sorry for him, if he weren’t the worst.
@Beverley, ITA, that’s the one positive that comes out of these inane stunts. It’s hysterical seeing the barriers with ~zero~ people behind them every. single. time. It never gets old.
(Obviously still a waste of people’s time and money, but entertaining for us)
Tom Sykes is insistent that the Sussexes are not important, but he is going to be at those engagements in Nottingham tomorrow, together with at least a dozen other journalists and photographers. For a couple who are “not important”. Make it make sense.
His looks a little like a Hitler moustache.