William to meet female footballers during Saudi Arabia tour

The Prince of Wales will join young Saudi girls learning football skills during the second day of his Middle East visit, which is in danger of being overshadowed by the on-going Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

William, president of the Football Association, will hear about the growing participation of women in sport in Saudi Arabia, during a visit to Misk Sports City in the capital Riyadh.

William will also visit an ambitious project, nominated for his Earthshot Prize, which has created a green cultural pathway through the city.

He will tour a section of the 83-mile Sports Boulevard which connects cycling paths, horse trails, green parks and cultural landmarks – a project supporting the core quality-of-life initiative of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to transform the kingdom into a diversified and sustainable economy.

William’s three-day trip to strengthen the UK’s ties with one of its key Middle East allies began on Monday, after the King made clear his “profound concern” at allegations relating to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct regarding the scandal involving convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Buckingham Palace said it would “stand ready to support” Thames Valley Police if approached over claims involving the King’s brother.

The Prince and Princess of Wales publicly addressed the Epstein crisis for the first time on Monday, with Kensington Palace saying they were “deeply concerned” at the “continued revelations” and that their thoughts “remain focused on the victims”.

Andrew, William’s uncle, was stripped of his titles in December by Charles after years of being dogged by sex allegations, which he has strenuously denied, centred around Epstein.

The former prince has faced fresh claims after the recent release of millions of documents relating to the disgraced financier.