A royal has paid a visit to an esports Youth Hub this week, with Prince William making an appearance at Mentivity community centre on Thursday afternoon.
Prince William visits Southwark Youth Hub
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.
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.
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
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 the first esports event at a Youth Club in London, as other pop ups have been hosted in places such as Brixton with British esports host Frankie Ward making an appearance in the past.
