Prince William jokes about his ‘friendly kickabouts’ with Jill Scott in sweet note

Prince William left fans in splits with his humour-filled congratulatory message for England midfielder Jill Scott after she announced her retirement at the age of 35.

Taking to Twitter, the Duke of Cambridge shared a heartfelt note to cheer up the athlete for her next chapter in life.

“A pioneer of Women’s Football and a great team player,” the royal lauded.

“@JillScottJS8 congratulations on a wonderful career, it's been a pleasure to get to know you. Tiny bit pleased there won't be any more slide tackles during "friendly" kickabouts... W,” he added.

Prince William referred to his running joke from 2012 when Scott accidentally kicked the prince to the ground while they were playing a charity soccer game.

The tweet came after the athlete opened up on her decision, stating: “Right, we're not crying. I promised myself. I'm retiring from football. And I'm leaving with a gold medal swinging from my neck.”