'She's a very good footballer': Prince William reveals Princess Charlotte's sporting skills - as it's announced a flower named after her will be sold at Waitrose

She's yet to celebrate her first birthday but today Prince William revealed that his daughter Princess Charlotte is already showing promise as a footballer.

The Duke of Cambridge, 33, made the revelation as he chatted to guests at a reception ahead of a lunch at Wembley Stadium to celebrate his 10 years as president of the Football Association.

'She's a very good footballer. You hold her hand and she kicks it. Very sweet,' he told former Chelsea, Celtic, and Aston Villa defender Paul Elliott. 

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She's yet to celebrated her first birthday but today Prince William today revealed that his daughter Princess Charlotte is already showing promise as a footballer as he attended a reception and lunch at Wembley Stadium to mark 10 years as president of the Football Association 

Prince William said Charlotte is a 'very good footballer' and liked to kick a ball once someone is holding her hand. His comments seem to indicate that the young princess, 11 months, has taken her first steps

The Prince's comments seem to indicate that 11-month-old Charlotte has already taken her first steps. 

Her brother George was also walking before his first birthday, but while the Prince has always been a boisterous little chap his sister is said to be less of a handful. 

Prince William has previously described her as a 'little joy of heaven' and as being very well-behaved and 'ladylike' in comparison to her big brother.

It was also revealed today that a pink chrysanthemum with green tips, named after Princess Charlotte will go on sale at Waitrose next month. 

The Duke of Cambridge talks with Chairman of the FA Greg Dyke (right) at a reception before a celebration lunch

The royal later made a speech saying it had been a pleasure to work alongside outgoing FA chairman Greg Dyke who is stepping down from the role in July 

Greg Dyke revealed that William has turned up with David Beckham to play in his five aside team in Battersea Park in London where he enjoys games with friends while in the capital 

The bloom produced by Dutch company Deliflor will go on sale for £8 at 180 Waitrose branches on 2nd May, Princess Charlotte's first birthday. 

Fifty pence from the sale of each plant will go to the East Anglia's Children's Hospices, of which the Duchess of Cambridge is patron.

It's also set to be entered for the Flower of the Year competition at the Chelsea Flower Show later in May.

Deliflor sent a bunch of the chrysanthemums to the royal couple after Charlotte was born last year, and the name was decided on after it was suggested by Johan Heemskerk as part of their annual social media competition to name a new variety of flower.

The royal, pictured with FA chairman Greg Dyke, reflected on his decade as FA president saying it had all gone by in a flash

The Duke of Cambridge talks with England football manager Roy Hodgson

Prince William was seem chatting to the Chairman of the FA Greg Dyke (cenre) and former football referee Howard Webb (right)

Explaining his choice, Mr Heemskerk told The Telegraph: 'It was the day after the baby princess was named and as the flower was baby pink, I felt 'Charlotte' would be a good name.

'The British royal family and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, in particular, are immensely popular in The Netherlands.'

At today's event celebrating his decade as FA president, William reflected that it had 'gone by in a flash'.

And as his football team, Aston Villa, are heading for relegation he backed another Midlands side for the Premier League title - shock leaders Leicester City.

Prince William was presented with an England Cap by Chairman of the FA Greg Dyke

A cap presented to Prince William to commemorate a decade as FA president, mirroring the honour given to players picked to represent their country

The Duke told Football Association executives it would be good for the game if previously unfancied Leicester, who are seven points clear of second-placed Tottenham, won the title instead of the usual suspects.

'I'm dying for Leicester to win. It will be good for the game,' he told a group of FA board members at a reception ahead of the lunch.

William, 33, was speaking to FA chairman Greg Dyke and board members including Manchester United director David Gill at the reception in the stadium.

A SPEECH BY THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE AT THE FA PRESIDENT'S LUNCH 

Thank you Greg for those kind and generous words.

It has been a great pleasure to work alongside you over the years and witness the transformative impact you have had on the organisation. I know you will not be resting on your laurels in the remaining months till July, but let me take this opportunity to thank you for your service to the FA and wish you the best of luck for the future.

I feel hugely privileged to have been President of the Football Association for the last 10 years. 

Looking back, being given the opportunity to be the President of such an historic and world-renowned institution from a relatively young age could have appeared quite daunting. 

But I have relished every moment - as a football fan, even a Villa fan, who wouldn't?

The Duke gave a speech as he attended a Council Lunch to celebrate his decade as FA president

Football is England's national game…it is part of the fabric of this nation, and to a large degree, helps form England's national identity. 

It is an incredibly powerful force for bringing people together, uniting people of all ages, all backgrounds and all walks of life. 

Quite simply, it is everything from a passion and a hobby to an obsession and a profession. We all love it, and that is why I find it such an honour to be President of the game's national governing body.

I have also been given a huge amount of support over the last decade from so many devoted people, which has made my role all the more enjoyable. 

Football, at all levels, relies on enthusiastic and committed people, who invest large amounts of time and energy ensuring that everyone involved in the beautiful game can enjoy it to the maximum benefit. 

You are these people and this lunch is as much about recognising your commitment as it is my time as President.

The increasing prominence of women's football has impressed the Duke who praised the growth in the sport

Unfortunately, my ten years as President have not been overly blessed by international tournament success. But I am proud to say that The FA has chalked up some very significant achievements in other fields.

We have completed the most iconic stadium in the world. Wembley is a venue with such tradition and emotion that guarantees to send tingles down the spine of any fan that comes here to support their team – as I well know.

As Greg mentioned, I will never forget that very special Wembley moment of celebrating with Villa supporters as we won the Cup Semi-final last year. Sadly, I didn't have quite the same feeling handing over the trophy to Arsenal a few weeks later.

We now have the National Football Centre at St. George's Park, a world leading performance facility at the heart of the FA's work. 

When you sit in the coaching room with Dan Ashworth and his team, and see the countdown clock on the wall, you can't help but be motivated and inspired. It really is an incredible facility. No pressure Dan!

We have also seen women's football finally become much more prominent, as it truly deserves to be. 

The establishment of a vibrant semi-professional League structure; the inspiring performances of the Lionesses; and a grassroots game that has seen a 30 per cent growth in women's and girls' teams are all great steps for the future of the game.

The Duke gave a speech saying it had been a pleasure to work alongside Greg Dyke during his presidency of the Football Association

And finally, we have seen a real revolution in youth football. The changes to the formats of the game for mini-soccer and youth football, along with the outstanding success of the Skills Programme, have raised the standards and experience for young boys and girls as they start out in football.

These are all significant achievements for the future of our national game. But we must not take any of it for granted, or stand still for a moment.

Over these 10 years I have seen the board and council strive to best serve the changing needs of the game and its participants. We owe it to the history of the game to maintain the FA's global standing. To do so, we must seek to set a world standard in the way we conduct our business.

There is one area in which I feel we do still need to improve and to do so with some urgency.

Our governance structure is in danger of falling short of modern standards of best practice. 

There is a wind of change blowing through global sporting governance and we need to ensure we do not get left behind. 

In fact, as the country's national sport, we ought to be leading the way.

I know the organisation is currently reviewing this issue and there is an opportunity to seize the initiative by the way in which we reform ourselves. This is an emotive issue, and it is one that you all have a stake in deciding. 

I am proud to say that we in The FA have committed to playing our full part in pushing for better governance in football at FIFA and at a regional level. 

I think that you will agree with me that we ourselves, at The FA, must be as good as we can be as an organisation, fully representing society and serving the needs of 21st century football, if we still want to be listened to by the game elsewhere.

The decision on supporting progressive reform is rightly yours to make. I know you will consider it with the experience that befits your collective positions in the game.

And finally to the future, we know Greg has promised us back to back World Cup victories for the men and women in 2022 and 2023 – don't worry, Greg, we will find you and hold you to account! 

More immediately we have an exciting year ahead of us with thrilling FA Cup competitions, for both the men and women, and the all-important Euros this summer.

Thank you all for this wonderful lunch and for everything you do for the game we all love. It is an honour and privilege to be your President.

William was then presented with his own red England cap by Mr Dyke to mark his 10 years at the helm, mirroring the honour given to players picked to represent their country.

The Duke, who stills plays football regularly with friends in Battersea Park, south London, when he is in the capital, also chatted to England manager Roy Hodgson, the England women's team and men's blind team before a beef Wellington lunch for more than 15O guests at the national stadium.

In a speech, Mr Dyke paid tribute to William's hard work behind the scenes for the organisation and his passion for the game. 

He revealed that it was not unknown for the second in line to the throne to use his connections to bring in the occasional 'ringer' for his team.

Prince William talks with English ladies footballers including winger Sue Smith (left) and forward Kelly Smith (second right)

Jack Rutter, the England Cerebral Palsy football team captain, chats to the Prince during the event 

Ahead of the celebrations, Prince William revealed that Princess Charlotte is displaying an early talent for football 

The FA chairman, who is due to stand down in July after the Euro 2016 tournament in France, teased William. 

He told his audience: 'Rumour has it that he occasionally uses his connections to help his team. One week he turned up to his regular six-a-side match, so we're told, and brought a friend to join his side - the friend was David Beckham.'

He told of William's pride in seeing Aston Villa beat Liverpool in their FA Cup semi-final last year and his misery after Villa were hammered 4-0 in the final by Arsenal.

William had to present the trophy to the winners and watched the disappointed Villa fans streaming out of the stadium. 

Greg Dyke, Martin Glenn, Julie Harrington chat to Prince William as he arrives at Wembley Stadium 

William shares a joke with Julie Harrington, managing Director of St. George's Park

FA chairman Greg Dyke today revealed that William does much unseen work behind the scenes 

Mr Dyke recalled how the future King had turned to him and said: 'It's all right for them. They can leave. I've got to stay here and smile.'

The FA chairman also defended William against allegations of laziness, insisting he did much work behind the scenes that went unseen and held FA board members to account. 

Noting that there were several members of the media in the room, Mr Dyke added: 'He asks tougher questions of us than many of the journalists we encounter.'

The FA had screened a brief video presentation showing some of the highlights of William's 10 years at the association, including his idea of staging a game between two amateur sides on the Buckingham Palace lawn to mark the FA's 150th anniversary in 2013.

He also made brief reference to William's part in England's ill-fated bid to stage the 2018 World Cup. 

At today's event, William revealed that his daughter Princess Charlotte is already showing an interest in football 

Today it was revealed that a pink chrysanthemum with green tips, named after Princess Charlotte, pictured on a her first skiing holiday with her parents, will go on sale at Waitrose next month and will also be entered at The Chelsea Flower Show 

The Duke has made no secret of his fury that under the now discredited leadership of disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter the bid was scuppered in favour of Russia.

Mr Dyke revealed that William had backed the FA's decision not to bid or future tournaments while Blatter, whom he described as 'a certain Swiss gentleman', remained in office.

'Our policy of refusing to bid for FIFA tournaments while he was still in position had the royal seal of approval,' he said.

Having criticised FIFA's corruption in the past, William used a speech to support Mr Dyke's efforts to streamline decision-making in the national game and diminish the influence of what some critics have called the old white men in blazers.

Having criticised FIFA's corruption in the past, William used a speech to support Mr Dyke's efforts to streamline decision-making in the national game and diminish the influence of what some critics have called the old white men in blazers

The Duke used his speech to call for improvements in the FA governance structure, which he said is in danger of falling short of modern standards of best practice

William, who is expected to travel to France to watch at least one England game in the tournament this summer, said: 'There is one area in which I feel we do still need to improve and to do so with some urgency.

'Our governance structure is in danger of falling short of modern standards of best practice. 

'There is a wind of change blowing through global sporting governance and we need to ensure we do not get left behind. In fact, as the country's national sport, we ought to be leading the way.

'I know the organisation is currently reviewing this issue and there is an opportunity to seize the initiative by the way in which we reform ourselves. This is an emotive issue, and it is one that you all have a stake in deciding.

'I am proud to say that we in the FA have committed to playing our full part in pushing for better governance in football at FIFA and at a regional level. 

'I think that you will agree with me that we ourselves, at the FA, must be as good as we can be as an organisation, fully representing society and serving the needs of 21st century football, if we still want to be listened to by the game elsewhere.

'The decision on supporting progressive reform is rightly yours to make. I know you will consider it with the experience that befits your collective positions in the game.'