William's star struck four-word response after being surprised by Gazza

07 September 2023 , 16:50

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William's star struck four-word response after being surprised by Gazza

Prince William gave a shocked four-word reply when he was introduced to Paul Gascoigne at a visit to Pret A Manger.

The heir to the throne looked generally taken aback to see the former England star while in Bournemouth as part of his Homewards campaign to end homelessness. William was visiting a Pret as he saw the crucial role that businesses are playing to tackle the problem when he was introduced to Gazza.

The Prince of Wales was greeting people in a large crowd when a man said: “Here is Paul Gascoigne.” William looked stunned with the former player holding out his arm and then blurted out: “Is it actually you?” as the pair shook hands.

Then he continued: “What are you doing here?” with Gazza replying with a big smile: “I’ve come to see you.” The two chatted with William asking him how he was and Gascoigne replying: “A lot better, getting there.”

William also said: "I've been keeping an eye on you from afar,” and that: "It's good to see you." Gascoigne is one of the most talented players that England has produced but his career was affected by injuries and he has battled addiction and mental health problems. Originally from Newcastle, it is believed that he now lives in the Bournemouth area.

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Following the conversation, Gazza then moved across and broke with royal protocol as he gave William a kiss on the cheek. After meeting the footballer, William said it had been a "very interesting morning. We even met Gazza, he popped into (Pret).”

William visited the Bournemough Pret A Manger to discuss its plans to expand The Pret Foundation's programme to help 500 people experiencing homelessness get jobs at Pret shops around the country.

The chain made the commitment as part of its work with William's Homewards initiative - the prince's ambitious five-year project to end homelessness in six locations. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is one of six flagship locations where the Homewards programme is taking place, alongside Aberdeen, Sheffield, Newport, Lambeth and Northern Ireland.

William appeared shocked to bump into the England legend (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)

The prince's visit to the south coast follows the launch of his anti-homelessness programme in June, this time shining a light on the role the business sector can play in tackling rough sleeping. During his whistle-stop day tour of Bournemouth, William was joined by Diary of a CEO host and Dragon's Den's Steven Bartlett, as he met local and national businesses to hear about their pledges.

Mr Bartlett, who is an advocate for the Homewards programme, said it was "100% possible" to tackle homelessness in five years and said William was "deeply passionate" about the cause. He recalled that in a conversation with William about the project the prince said "some things just catch your heart and you feel you can move them forward".

Mr Bartlett added: "It's one of those things that's caught his heart and it's quite clearly possible. Sometimes you have to put a deadline on things to make sure they happen." The Homewards programme aims to show how society coming together can make homelessness "rare, brief and unrepeated" and supports locally-led initiatives with up to £500,000 of flexible funding.

Gazza gave the prince a cheeky kiss

The prince later visited AFC Bournemouth which is joining the programme by expanding its community outreach programme Bounce Back. William spoke to players Lloyd Kelly and Katie Scadding at Vitality Stadium, Steve Cuss, the club's communities sports trust chief and chief executive Neill Blake to hear about their piloted scheme which supports disadvantaged adults gain independent living.

Mr Kelly also told the prince about the importance of football in his own life, and something he had to look forward to, having been in foster care as a child. AFC Bournemouth and the Pret Foundation were among national and local businesses that joined William for a roundtable meeting about how businesses can help tackle homelessness.

The Pret Foundation's global head Nina Allard said Pret's pledge is "real commitment" to continue its work as the charity has already recruited 750 people through its Rising Stars programme since 2008.

Business bosses from Lush, Sunseekers, Dorset Chamber of Commerce, The Pret Foundation, AFC Bournemouth and Bournemouth and Poole College pledged to expand a variety of initiatives including community outreach, education and employment opportunities.

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