There have to be some perks to being a future king.
Fortunately Prince William was using his flex for a good cause, getting The Mall closed to traffic yesterday and turned into a makeshift ‘backyard’ cricket pitch for a very special match – with Buckingham Palace as the iconic backdrop.
The match, with the Prince of Wales among the players, was designed both to highlight the unifying power of sport and the prince's forthcoming Earthshot Prize environmental awards in Mumbai next month.
William was joined by several England and Indian legends, including homegrown test captain Joe Root, India's former national team captains Ajinkya Rahane and Sourav Ganguly, and West Indies hero Brian Lara.
Their verdict? William was a 'pretty good batter' whose 'bowling needs a bit of work'.
And the scenery? 'There are some wonderful backdrops in cricket, but none quite like Buckingham Palace,' said Root.
England women's captain Nat Sciver Brunt, England white-ball captain Harry Brook and radio host Greg James also joined in the fun at the 'Cricket on The Mall'.
The Prince of Wales was joined today by a galaxy of stars from the cricketing world as he turned the iconic Mall in the heart of London into a makeshift cricket pitch
The Prince of Wales is seen reacting to a shot with Sir James Anderson during Earthshot's 'Cricket on the Mall'
William is seen here with England Cricketer Joe Root for the event, celebrating the deep and enduring ties between India and England, and their shared passion for cricket
Dressed in navy chinos and brown suede trainers, William took off his trendy 'shacket' to play on the impromptu pitch for around ten minutes, faring considerably better at his batting than bowling.
After the game, Root said: 'His batting was pretty good to be fair, I think he's definitely a batter rather than a bowler, but he played some lovely shots. There's a lot to work with there.'
He described The Mall as a 'challenging wicket' adding it was 'a huge privilege' to play in front of the palace.
Lara said of William: 'He underrates himself, he's a big football fan [and] he said he doesn't know much about cricket. His bowling needs a lot of work but his batting? I'd put him as the number six or number seven batter, definitely in the starting 11.
'He confessed about his cricketing his ability. He did [also] ask me what I was doing standing next to two Englishmen [Root and Brook] after punishing them for 400 runs - but that was many, many years ago.'
Ganguly said of the prince's game: 'He batted alright. He's better than me at the moment because I just picked up a cricket bat for the first time in eight or nine years.
'He was so friendly with everyone, simple and down to earth. India will welcome him.
'He's such a lovely natured person, smiling, shaking hands with everyone.'
After the game, William did a short walkabout with some of the spectators who had gathered along The Mall, posing for selfies and shaking hands.
The future King took to the crease for an informal game of cricket, organised by the team at Backyard Cricket, to celebrate the Earthshot Prize's upcoming celebration in India
Icons from both the UK and India joined him for a special event taking place in the lead-up to Earthshot's annual Summit and Awards Night, taking place in Mumbai in November
The future King met with cricket stars and learnt about the work of Backyard Cricket, created by brothers Mark and James Wood
Inspired by President John F Kennedy's Moonshot, with the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize is designed to mobilise a decade of action for the planet
Players were also joined by the team from Tailenders, including Greg James, Sir Jimmy Anderson and Issy Wong
West Indies legend Brian Lara was present, as was former Indian cricket captains Ajinkya Rahane and Sourav Ganguly, seen here speaking with the Prince of Wales
William appeared animated during the sporting fixture for the special Earthshot Prize Event in the capital
Founded by Prince William, The Earthshot Prize is the world's most prestigious environmental award designed to identify, back and celebrate leadership in environmental action
Backyard Cricket UK is a massively popular, fast-growing crew that has taken the internet by storm
The future king posed for photographs with royal fans who had lined London's Mall for the special event
Before leaving, Sciver-Bunt presented him with a cricket shirt for Princess Charlotte, a keen cricketer who plays on a team at Lambrook school.
Spectators on the Mall also included representatives from companies who are partnering with the environmental prize and guests who will attend the ceremony in November, which is set to be Earthshot’s biggest awards to date.
The game was organised by Backyard Cricket, the Yorkshire-based cricket crew founded by brothers Mark and James Wood, which aims to make cricket more accessible.
It’s unlikely that any backyard has so far proved to be quite as dramatic as the official residence of the British monarch.
The event on the Mall aimed to ‘celebrate the deep and enduring ties’ between India and the UK and ‘recognise the important role that sport can play in bringing people together and inspiring positive action’.
Root, wearing an Earthshot baseball cap, added: ‘It’s great to use the power of sport to show all the good things this initiative can do.’
Founded by William, The Earthshot Prize is the world’s most prestigious green award designed to identify and scale up groundbreaking innovations designed to combat the global environmental crisis.
Inspired by President John F Kennedy’s Moonshot, which united millions of people around the goal of reaching the moon, The Earthshot Prize is designed to mobilise a decade of action for the planet.
India is home to more Earthshot Prize winners and finalists than any other country in the world.
Founded by Prince William, The Earthshot Prize is the world’s most prestigious environmental award designed to identify, back and celebrate groundbreaking leadership in environmental action.
Backyard Cricket UK is a massively popular, fast-growing crew that has taken the internet by storm.
Based out of North Yorkshire, the crew focuses on making cricket accessible, highly nostalgic, and intensely entertaining by taking the sport back to its roots.
Backyard Cricket was created by brothers Mark and James Wood. They now have grown their team, the core recurring "Backyard Boys" line-up includes Mark (Captain), Archie, Drew, Joe, and James.
It comes after it was revealed that the Prince of Wales will join King Charles and Queen Camilla for a rare joint public engagement to mark the 60th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, which claimed the lives of 116 schoolchildren and 28 adults.
The royals will travel to the small south Wales village next week to pay their respects to the 144 victims of the worst mining disaster in British history, and the community that has sought over the last six decades to heal.
They will visit on October 21, 60 years to the day a vast colliery waste tip collapsed onto Pantglas Junior School and neighbouring houses with such devastating loss of life.