King Charles had a ball at Tottenham Hotspur's £1billion stadium where he was told he was "bigger than Beyonce ". He toured the 62,850-capacity ground in North London to celebrate the club's "charitable" work. Spurs have been particularly charitable on the pitch languishing in 14th place in the Premier League and out of both domestic cups. But the King "celebrated the positive socio-economic impact of the football club" including partnership with NFL and the local north London community. Spurs' ground not only hosts Tottenham Hotspur but also regular season NFL games.
He was given a huge cheer from Spurs flag-waving children in the stands as he emerged through the players' tunnel onto the pitch. And had a crash course on throwing an American Football before being given a ball from the Super Bowl LIX held in New Orleans on Sunday. Charles, 76, who is believed to be a Burnley fan, was welcomed to the state-of-the-art stadium by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. In the players' tunnel met men's and women's captains Heung-Min Son and Bethany England.
And chatted with British NFL player Efe Obada and captain of Team GB Women's Flag Football team and NFL Global Flag Ambassador, Phoebe Schecter. In a friendly chat South Korean superstar striker Son, 32, told the King "we are playing Manchester Utd on Sunday.". The King asked: "How is the team doing at the moment." Son replied: "Difficult moments, but working hard." The King replied that there were "a lot of good coaches". Stepping onto the pitch he was cheered by local school children who had been chanting 'we want the King' before his arrival.
He watched a demonstration by young people involved in The Huddle Project, a programme launched in 2023 by Tottenham Hotspur, the NFL and Nike. The dual sport programme for boys and girls aged 11 to 18, increases access to free football and NFL Flag game. Good sport Charles was coaxed into trying his hand as a Quarterback and threw a football at a net which had hoops as targets. Although his effort fell short, British Gridiron star Efe Obada, 32, who plays Defensive End for the Washington Commanders in the NFL hailed the King's efforts.
Efe said: "I loved his energy, the fact that he came in here willing to get stuck in. His technique was immense. I wanted him to get a hoop, in the target, but he was just having a good time. We talked about the NFL and he's a fan. He's going to watch the games." Afterwards, Charles was presented with a replica of Tottenham’s historic original golden cockerel statue and an American football from Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans. Ledley King, club ambassador and playing legend, also met the King on the pitch.
He said afterwards: "It's fantastic to have the King here. There is a lot of great work going on in the community and great to have him here at the stadium to see what goes on. It's much more than a football stadium, it reaches out to the wider community. "We spoke about the difference between the NFL and football and how there is quite a few stoppages and now that I'm older it's a lot easier for me with many stoppages. It's a pleasure to meet him.".
Inside the stadium, Charles met community groups and local businesses that have benefitted from the opportunities provided by the new stadium. This included students from the London Academy of Excellence Tottenham (LAET) – a state- funded high achieving Sixth Form located on the stadium campus which prioritises local students from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. And also meet young people supported by The King’s Trust, a youth charity founded by His Majesty as Prince of Wales in 1976, who live and work in Tottenham. This included young people who had taken part in The Trust’s "Get into Security" programme delivered with Tottenham Hotspur and are now employed at the stadium.
He met Gina Moffatt, 48, an ex-prisoner, who turned her life around with help from the King's Trust, formerly the Prince's Trust, now runs a successful restaurant in Tottenham employing 15 full time staff. She said to him: "I'm so excited that you're even back in Tottenham, this year's looking all good, Tottenham Hotspur's doing great stuff." The 48-year-old made Charles laugh when she said: "We've got Beyonce coming but you're bigger than Beyonce." Beyonce is performing six nights at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in June.
Nial Thompson, 24, a caterer who secured help via the King's Trust, shook Charles's hand and said: "It helped me a lot, thank you so, so much." Charles replied: "We are all very proud of you." Dozens of well-wishers waited outside the ground to shake the King's hand as he left. WHATSAPP GROUP: Be first to get the biggest royal bombshells and exclusives to your phone by joining our Royal WhatsApp here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
