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William, PRINCE OF WALES, slammed by Michael Sheen for supporting England ahead of key World Cup fixture

The senior royal has supported England's national soccer team since he was a child

LONDON, UK: The debate about Prince William's support for the England soccer team has resurfaced as they try to knock Wales out of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

The senior royal, 40, has supported England's national soccer team since he was a child. However, he was bestowed with the official title Prince of Wales after Queen Elizabeth II died in September. William sparked some backlash after turning out to offer support to the English team before they left for Qatar, giving the players their World Cup shirt numbers. Now, as president of the Football Association, the prince must decide whether to continue publicly supporting England in its final group match.

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Among those to slam William was Welsh actor Michael Sheen, who asked whether the royal had "not a shred of embarrassment" considering his official title. The 'Passengers' star said it was wrong for William to hold the Prince of Wales at all as an Englishman and that the problem extended beyond soccer. It's worth noting that Wales -- after tying with the US but losing to Iran -- must beat England by at least four goals in the Tuesday, November 29, fixture to stay in the World Cup. Meanwhile, England could also be kicked out of the tournament if they lose heavily to Wales, despite leading Group B.

Sheen expressed his frustration earlier in November as William saw the England team off. "He can, of course, support whoever he likes and as Pres of FA his role makes visit understandable—but surely he sees holding the title Prince of Wales at the same time is entirely inappropriate?" the actor fumed. "Not a shred of embarrassment? Or sensitivity to the problem here? #PrinceofWales."

Sheen later added, "I didn't say it's insensitive to leave out the Welsh team. For those who care the issue is that the title Prince of Wales (PoW) seems inappropriate to be held by anyone not Welsh and this is just an instance of the absurdity. It's not about supporting England or Wales or both."

Kristen Meinzer, co-host of the Newsweek podcast The Royal Report, agreed with Sheen on the show. "I personally think Sheen is totally making a fair point here and one that those of us in the States haven't really examined," she said, adding, "They're not Welsh. Why are you getting this title? In my mind, it's kind of similar to those military titles."

William was asked about the conflict of loyalties during a recent visit to the Welsh parliament. He responded, "I'm telling everyone I'm supporting both, definitely. I can't lose but I've supported England since I've been quite small. But I support Welsh rugby and that's my kind of way of doing it. I happily support Wales over England in rugby so I've got to be able to play like carefully with my affiliations. I worry otherwise if I suddenly drop England to support Wales then that doesn't look right for the sport either. So I can't do that."

The royal has since been more muted about the World Cup, albeit he did post tweets wishing both England and Welsh good luck before their opening matches. The English version read, "Wishing the very best of luck to @Cymru and @England as they kick off in the #FifaWorldCup today. Looking forward to watching! W."

William notably celebrated England's success in Euro 2020 which was held across June and July 2021.

The prince was seen cheering for the team alongside his wife Kate Middleton and son Prince George as the hosts lost the final against Italy on penalties at Wembley Stadium in London, Newsweek reported.