Prince William Plays Rugby While Visiting Program Creating a Safe Space for Kids: 'He Was One of the Boys'

Mar. 15, 2025

Phil Noble-Pool/Getty

Prince Williamis kicking off his visit to Cape Town with a favorite sport.

Prince William, Prince of Wales speaks on stage during his visit to the Earthshot Prize Climate Leaders Youth Program on Nov. 4, 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa.Chris Jackson/Getty

Chris Jackson/Getty

Prince William was then taken out onto the field, moving between small groups of children. Former South African great Joel Stransky, who scored all of South Africa’s points in the World Cup final of 1995, was one of those who helped coach the kids.

“He was amazing," Stransky tells PEOPLE of Prince William. “He was one of the boys, humble and upright human being.”

“I ran into him in the drill, and he was really cool about it,” Stransky laughs. “What was cool too was he comes into this environment and talks to kids from different walks of life and different backgrounds. To chat to the kids the way he did and ask the right questions was really cool.”

He adds of William’s athletic skills, “He’s a good ball player. You could see he’s a natural. I should think he loves it and doesn’t get enough chance to do it. I hope he enjoyed it as much as we did.”

Another South African legend, Percy Montgomery, was also helping with the young people. He jokes about how William and Stransky collided, telling PEOPLE “It is a contact sport!”

“He seems like a natural player. We had some good banter about the recent test matches against England. It’s great to have him supporting the communities here and Jason Leonard’s foundation.” Montgomery adds.

Prince William (C), Prince of Wales, speaks to a group of young people, with Table Mountain in the background, at the Earthshot Prize Climate Leaders Youth Program at Rooftop on Bree in Cape Town, on Nov. 4, 2024.GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/POOL/AFP via Getty

GIANLUIGI GUERCIA/POOL/AFP via Getty

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The Prince of Wales is in South Africa for four days promoting his Earthshot Prize environmental initiative, which has its annual star-studded awards ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 6.Nina Dobrev,Heidi KlumandBilly Porterare among the celebrities who will be in attendance at the fourth iteration of the awards ceremony, following London in 2021, Boston in 2022 and Singapore in 2023.

source: people.com