Prince William halts traffic outside Buckingham Palace for cricket with Ganguly, Lara and Root

Prince William turned The Mall into an impromptu cricket pitch on Tuesday, joining current and former international players outside Buckingham Palace to promote his Earthshot climate prize. The brief event halted traffic on the ceremonial road and brought together figures including Sourav Ganguly, Brian Lara and Joe Root.

The Mall, the ceremonial road leading to Buckingham Palace, was used for a casual game in which the Prince of Wales picked up a bat and faced gentle deliveries. He played alongside prominent cricketers and members of the Clipstone Cricket Club, with the Princess of Wales posting: "Prince William joins the Clipstone Cricket Club team on The Mall for a friendly cricket session highlighting community sport and local engagement. https://t.co/oLi5ogyh9W— The Princess of Wales (@KateMiddeltonuk) October 13, 2026". William wore a shirt and sweater during the session and struck a series of gentle deliveries bowled by Ganguly, and he stopped to take selfies with spectators who had gathered to watch.

His batting received praise from senior players, including Ganguly and England captain Joe Root. Ganguly said: "He batted alright. He’s better than me at the moment because I just picked up a cricket bat for the first time in eight or nine years. He was so friendly with everyone, simple and down to earth.

"India will welcome him, cordially. He’s such a lovely-natured person, smiling, shaking hands with everyone."

Brian Lara was more critical of William's bowling, saying: "He underrates himself; he’s a big football fan, he said he doesn’t know much about cricket. His bowling needs a lot of work, but his batting? I’d put him as the number six or number seven batter, definitely in the starting 11," said Lara.

Organisers presented the session as an initiative to strengthen the cricketing bond between India and Britain.

India is set to host the annual Earthshot Prize summit and awards ceremony next month. The prize was founded by Prince William.