5 Hilarious Photos of Prince William Playing Street Cricket Outside Buckingham Palace

Prince William had a rather different kind of date with the cameras on October 13, when he picked up a cricket bat outside Buckingham Palace. The Prince of Wales joined cricketing greats, including England captain Joe Root, former India captains Sourav Ganguly and Ajinkya Rahane, and West Indies legend Brian Lara, for a friendly game on The Mall. The match also featured England stars Harry Brook, Nat Sciver-Brunt and Danni Wyatt-Hodge, along with former bowler Sir Jimmy Anderson. The occasion marked the countdown to the Earthshot Prize ceremony in India next month.

William was seen getting into position with his bat, keeping his eyes on the ball and taking massive swings. This wasn’t his first time playing cricket, either. Cricket is hugely popular in India, and the Prince got a taste of the same during his and Princess Kate’s official tour of India and Bhutan in 2016, when they joined a charity cricket match in Mumbai. With the next Earthshot Prize ceremony also set to take place in the city next month, William had another reason to get back into the game!

William certainly looked committed to the shot, swinging the bat high above his head with a smile on his face. And he had a few good hits to show for his efforts, sending the bright red ball flying more than once. One particularly high shot even caught some of the players by surprise, giving the Prince a chance to show that he wasn't just there to pose for pictures!

William seemed to be having a good time on the pitch, even pausing for a bit of mid-game banter with a grin on his face and a finger raised as if making a point. And it sounds like his cricketing skills made an impression, too. Former India captain Sourav Ganguly had a cheeky assessment of the Prince’s performance, saying William “batted alright,” joking that he was better than him at the moment. He told the Daily Mail, "He was so friendly with everyone, simple and down to earth. India will welcome him cordially. He's such a lovely-natured person, smiling, shaking hands with everyone."

William got his turn with the ball, bowling to none other than cricket legend Brian Lara, who looked all smiles at the crease. Bowling might not have been the Prince’s strongest suit, though. England cricketer Joe Root, who joined the game, reckoned William was more of a batter, praising his performance as “pretty good” and adding, “There’s a lot to work with there.” Not a bad review for a royal taking to the pitch!

William seemed to have had a good chat with Brian Lara during the game, as he appeared animated during their conversation. The cricket legend later shared a fun detail about their talk and revealed that the Prince had admitted to being a big football fan who didn’t know much about cricket. However, Lara had a different take on William’s abilities, saying, “I'd put him as the number six or number seven batter, definitely in the starting 11.”