Prince William Reveals the Biggest 'Culture Shock' Brits Will Face at the US World Cup
Prince William has had his fair share experiences of cultural differences with Americans, and the taste of beer is just the start of it.
The conversation is always an interesting one when it’s between Americans and Europeans. So when Prince William guest-starred on NFL stars Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce’s podcast, The New Heights Show, on Friday, they were bound to talk about the cultural differences between the UK and the US. And indeed they did.
This year, the US has welcomed thousands of fans from around the world as it hosts the FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico. And British fans must also have found themselves crossing the pond for the sporting extravaganza and will most certainly face huge cultural shocks, beginning with the sport's name. While the US fans know the game as soccer, the British call it football, as William pointed out to Jason, “So first of all, Jason, I have to correct you. It’s football. It’s not soccer.” The Kelces burst into laughter as the “six-foot-three prince from London” smirked with pride.
Travis asked William what he thought would be the “biggest culture shock” for British fans when they go to the US for the FIFA World Cup, and further asked whether it would be the “light beer”. William agreed with a laugh, “Yeah, the beer definitely is going to taste different, I think, for all of them. You haven’t met your match till you’ve seen a lot of beer drinkers from the U.K. We can handle our own beer to anyone.” But the beer was just the beginning of the answer.
William further mentioned that the “scale” of the stadiums and the “size” was “really going to be quite a culture shock for a lot of fans”. He further added, “We really know our football, so to see stadiums that are bigger and kind of an amazing atmosphere that we can also emulate here, that’s quite a big deal.”
Since the Prince of Wales is a massive soccer fan and the president of the FA, there has been a lot of speculation about whether he would attend the FIFA World Cup in the US this year. During his podcast appearance, William put to rest all doubts when he said that if England reaches the finals, he would “definitely” cross the Atlantic. However, speculation is still be rife over whether his wife, Kate Middleton, or his soccer fan son, Prince George, would join him or not.
William certainly has had his fair share of cultural differences with Americans. His sister-in-law, Meghan Markle, is reportedly one of them. The rift between the Wales and the Sussexes may not see much repair even as Prince Harry and Markle gear up to visit the UK this month.
