Speaking Frankly… Kate charms footballers

The Duchess of Cambridge left Frank Lampard starstruck yesterday, when she and Prince William rubbed shoulders with England’s football stars.

The royal couple opened the £105 million St George’s Park complex, the Football Association’s new centre of excellence near Burton-upon-Trent, in
Staffordshire.

William and Kate joined England manager Roy Hodgson as his squad, including Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard, broke off from a training session to chat to the royals, who
toured the 330-acre site for two hours.

On a practice pitch, the duke and duchess shared a joke with Gerrard, captain of the England team which plays a World Cup qualifier match against San
Marino on Friday, and also met Ashley Cole, who is at the centre of a Twitter row after posting a tweet attacking the FA.

In a speech, Prince William praised the development, saying its benefits would be felt far beyond the world of football.

Speaking before unveiling a plaque, he said: “St George’s Park, and the concept that under­pins it, is something totally new. It will be far more than just a world-class facility for training our future world-beating nation­al team.”