Charming reason Prince William's face 'lit up' when he met football heroine Lioness Beth Mead

Prince William's face "lit up" when he met Lioness football ace, Beth Mead - and for a very charming reason.

The goal-scoring heroine let us in on a charming moment she shared with footie-loving Wills - and revealed how and why his face "lit up" when they crossed paths. Their encounter during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle saw the future King bestowing an MBE on Beth, the top scorer of the

England Women's National Team, which he frequently publicly champions.

Recalling her Royal reception, Kelly said: "It was pretty cool. I feel very honoured to have such a historic award. It was a tough one to begin with, because I think the whole team deserved one but only a few of us managed. But it was amazing. I walked into the room and Prince William's face lit up because he loves football."

Beth also mentioned how down-to-earth William appeared, proving his Aston Villa supporter credentials by being clued-up about her recent knee injury. She said: "It was an easy conversation with him because of that common interest."

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As Beth told OK!: "He asked how my knee was too, he knew I had an injury so he was asking how the recovery had been. It's nice that someone in that position can still be very normal and talk football."

This wasn't her first run-in with Wills; she'd previously met him during the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 final match between England and Germany, sharing a handshake with the Royal on the pitch.

Prince William, as the President of the Football Association (FA), is instrumental in backing various teams on their global competitive journeys.

Since clinching the Women's EUROs title in 2022, Beth and her squad have been riding a wave of success, noticing an uptick in respect for women's football. When asked if there's still progress to be made, she said: "It'll never be perfect, we will always push and expect the game to grow. People are respecting the game a lot more, but we've still got to push for more respect."

She noted the changing perception of women's football, which traditionally had a more personable, family-oriented vibe, now facing increased scrutiny as its popularity grows.

She said: "It's difficult because women's football was always known as being a bit more personable and family-feel than men's, but now, more people are having an opinion on women's football and there's more scrutiny."

Beth expressed concern about the mounting pressure and the potential negative impact of fan behaviour seen in men's football encroaching on the women's game.

She added: "That's fine, but it creates a lot more pressure. We don't want it to go down the route of the men's game and how the fans and people act in men's football, which it kind of is [in danger of doing] at the moment. But I think that's the balance we have to find while pushing the game to a different level."

Beth is also championing the accessibility of football for youngsters through her collaboration with McDonald's Fun Football programme, which provides free football coaching to children.

Discussing the campaign, Beth shared with us: "It's amazing, I'm very proud and honoured to be part of such an amazing advert and campaign for the game and to make young boys and girls feel like they can come to a safe place that they love. I'm really happy that I can help them achieve that and it can be a nice pathway and safe place for them to progress through their footballing journey."