A royal has paid visit to the Esports Youth Club this week, with Prince William making an appearance at Mentivity community centre on Thursday afternoon.
Prince William visits Southwark Esports Youth Club
After a brief conversation with the community centre leaders, the prince got straight down to business, as he found himself in front of a monitor playing on a Nintendo Switch console.
The king in waiting sat down with three young students from the area and he looked right at home as he selected his Mario Kart 8 character.
While he may have some of the most important responsibilities in the nation, Mario Kart clearly wasn’t one of the prince’s specialties but he still beamed with excitement as the race finished despite being beaten by all three of his young opponents.
Mentivity House was thrilled to have a royal visit the site, saying in a post on X: “Unbelievable scenes down at the awesome Mentivity House yesterday with an exciting visit from Prince William – would never have thought we’d be hosting them on our gaming setup but here we are!
“It was so inspiring to receive a visit from such a prestigious public figure, a memory sure to live long in the lives of the young people we help to support weekly alongside Mentivity.”
Prince William was mobbed by well-wishers and posed for selfies as he visited a London youth club today – where he also got the chance to play Mario Karts/ FIFA with young people.
The future king was at Mentivity House, which helps around 400 young people a week. pic.twitter.com/lGDiW8kHgp— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) April 24, 2025
William continued his visit with a move to the Playstation 5, where the royal took part in a more familiar game in EA FC 25.
The 42-year-old is an avid Aston Villa fan and he has often been spotted supporting his team, including at both legs of their recent Champions League quarter final tie against PSG.
After playing a brief game on the console with his beloved team, the prince was pictured having a conversation with Fulham FC star and Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson.
Royalty looking to expand esports scene
Once he had engaged with some of the youth who visit the centre regularly, William sat down with the community leaders to discuss how to further develop sites similar to the Mentivity community centre.
After a group discussion with head teachers and other public figures from the area, the prince departed the community centre where he was greeted by a crowd of young students and press hoping to capture a picture with the royal.
This wasn’t a standalone event for the not-for-profit organisation, with Esports Youth Club hosting over 200 sessions like the one with Prince William in just the last year alone.
Events have been held all over London in the past including one in 2022 when British esports host Frankie Ward was in attendance at one of the first Esports Youth Club Brixton pop up events.
