Prince William says the FIFA World Cup will be one of the hardest in the modern era for England

Prince William has paid a visit to St George's Park to deliver a personal good luck message to the backroom staff supporting England's FIFA World Cup campaign.

The England team's official X account shared a video of the Prince of Wales's visit on Wednesday, during which he conveyed his best wishes ahead of the tournament.

William meets Tuchel, Ashworth and McDermott at national football centre

During the visit, William met England head coach Thomas Tuchel, Football Association chief football officer Dan Ashworth, and technical director John McDermott. The group gathered for a photocall in the indoor futsal hall at the national football centre.

Tuchel named his 26-man squad last week. The squad are due to fly to Florida on Monday before opening their World Cup campaign against Croatia on 17 June.

Prince pays tribute to the unsung heroes behind the England team

Speaking to the assembled staff, the heir to the throne offered warm words of recognition for those whose contributions so often go unnoticed.

"I just wanted to take the opportunity to see the team behind the team today, and to say thank you and good luck to all of you guys who don't get as much acknowledgement or credit as you deserve," he said.

He continued: "It's a big team that gets on that plane. It's a big team that looks after them. Not everyone gets to see the hard work you put in, and the success of the players comes from the foundations you built, so thank you."

William warns of a gruelling tournament ahead

The Prince also offered a candid assessment of the challenge that lies ahead for England on the world stage.

"It's not going to be an easy tournament as you well know. It's going to be one of the hardest World Cups there's probably been in the modern era, but I have no doubt you'll rise to the occasion and deliver on all the things that you do so brilliantly," he said.