Yahoo Finance Prince William to attend FA Cup final and will present trophy - but on the pitch
Prince William will be among the 22,000 spectators at the FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Leicester City but there will be no trophy presentation in the Royal Box for the victors.
The Duke of Cambridge’s attendance at the game is another welcome sign that Coronovairus restrictions are beginning to ease and life is returning to normal, but the post match celebrations will remain socially distanced even though there will be fans inside to watch them.
The Prince was keen to make sure he was at the final in his role as FA President and Kensington Palace have confirmed he will be at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.
But there will still not be the famous walk up the steps for the players to receive their runners up and winners medals, with the presentations taking place on the pitch as they did last year when Chelsea were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal.
On that occasion the players picked up their medals from a box placed on the pitch, next to the trophy, which was left on a plinth, before it was lifted by captain Pierre Emerick Aubameyang.
The losing side, as well as the match officials left the pitch straight after the final whistle and did not get their medals until they returned to their dressing rooms
That will once again be the case this year, although the Duke of Cambridge will be able to physically hand over the trophy to the winning captain.
A senior royal has traditionally handed out medals and the trophy from the Royal Box, with the walk up the steps a crushing experience for losers but an exhilarating one for the winners.
But with both teams required to stick with the same strict protocols that allowed football to resume playing in June last year, they have to remain in the Red Zone, which can only be entered by players, coaching staff and match officials on a matchday.
And although the Duke of Cambridge will hand over the trophy, he will not stay on the pitch afterwards and will not shake hands with players or managers.
