Protein shakes, lean cuts of meat and steamed veg – but double it at least.
That’s the simple, but maybe not so effective, advice kindly bestowed upon the England football squad by their new six-year-old nutritionist Prince Louis.
The advice was met with a mixed reaction as the Prince of Wales shared his son’s suggestion to the Three Lions ahead of the upcoming Euros tournament this month.
According to Prince William, his youngest son advised the squad to “eat twice the amount” they usually would for their best chances of success in Germany.
England captain Harry Kane, rebutted Louis’ advice and questioned whether the team’s nutritionist would be pleased with the indulgent suggestion.
William, who is president of the FA, met the squad and head coach Gareth Southgate at St George’s Park, England’s national football centre in Burton upon Trent, on Monday.
The prince presented shirts to each of the 26 players in this year’s team as he discussed preparations for the tournament with Southgate.
In a rallying speech to the players, William said: “I was on the school run this morning with the children and I said ‘What shall I say to the England team today?’.
“The best bit of advice I got to ask you was to eat twice the amount you normally would eat.
“So I then had visions of all of you running around with massive great tummies and loads of stitches on the pitch so I think maybe take my youngest’s advice with a pinch of salt.”
Prince Louis is known for his often cheeky sense of humour and pulling faces while out on royal appearances.
Harry Kane jokingly responded: “We’ve got to be careful with that one. I don’t think our nutritionist will be happy with that.”
William promised the team that he would “be watching every single game” in the tournament as he shook hands with their coach bidding them good luck.
The team were getting ready to go to Germany in the hours ahead, where they will play their first game against Serbia on Sunday.
William added: “Tournament football is a big deal. All of you have had fantastic seasons, I’ve seen every single one of you play this season.
“As some of you know way better than anyone else in this room, tournament football is brutal. It requires a lot more than you’ve already given.
“It’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be fun, it’s going to be challenging, it’s going to be everything that you ever dreamed of wearing that England shirt
“You’re a unit, you fight for each other, you play for each other”.
England, who were beaten 1-0 by Iceland in their final warm-up friendly on Friday, are preparing for their Group C opener at the end of this week.
Speaking about the loss to Iceland, Kane said the team will debrief about the game on Monday or Tuesday when they arrive in Germany.
He said: “Of course we were disappointed after that game. I’m sure we will look back at the game where we can improve.
“No one ever likes losing but we want to get on with it. The morale is good.”
William was joined by schoolchildren from across the Midlands at St George’s Park to attend the festival of football to mark England’s send-off.
Abhijey, 10, who came with his school peers to play football and meet William and the England players said he “never thought” that they would visit, but it was a “good surprise”.
The children applauded as the prince arrived onto the pitches with Kane, former Lioness Jill Scott and current England striker Ollie Watkins.
Speaking to the children, William said he “could never score” when playing football and preferred to stay defence.
William is a passionate Aston Villa fan who often takes his son Prince George to see games. The pair were spotted at a game in April in what was their first public outing since the Princess of Wales’ cancer announcement.
Several weeks ago, the prince praised his long-time favourite football team for qualifying for the Champions League for the first time in an upbeat social media post.
He said he “can’t wait” for Aston Villa’s next season as he publicly shared his joy following the team’s confirmation they had gained their place in the competition.
