City visit 'personal' to prince

Prince William urged youngsters to try out water polo

Prince William said his first official visit to Manchester was a personal one as he was able to watch one of the games he loves - water polo.

He saw the women's Great Britain team beat Slovakia on Thursday night by 17-6 in the LEN European Nations Tournament.

"I've loved it, it's been great," said the prince.

"I've been very sweaty in my suit near the swimming pool, sat there watching it and desperately wanting to get in the water. All I want to do is play."

'Fantastic inside'

The prince was unable to stay in Manchester due to other commitments but said he wanted to see more of the city.

"Obviously, the inside of the Aquatics Centre is fantastic but it's not really Manchester," he said.

"Next time I come up here, it may be for a Man U, Aston Villa game."

The prince praised the women's GB team for a "fantastic performance" and urged young people to take up the sport.

William has been described as water polo's "number one fan"

"Water polo is very personal to me as I used to play regularly and it's a fantastic game," he said.

"It would be great to see more children playing water polo and enjoying swimming, as I found it great fun."

GB captain Ros Griffiths said the team knew they had to put on a special performance.

"We know that he plays water polo, so he's got a real special interest in and it's fantastic to have his support," said Ms Griffiths.

British Swimming chief executive David Sparkes described Prince William as "water polo's number one fan".

"His support of the teams is strong and he asked if he could be kept informed of the future of the water polo programme in Britain."

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