Prince William surprised fans on Tuesday when he rocked a pair of brilliant white trainers to attend a community event in south London hosted by the NFL Foundation UK.

While the royal father of three is renowned for his perfectly polished wardrobe teeming with razor-sharp suits and high-shine dress shoes, William, 42, embraced his sporty side and swapped his smart shoes for a pair of chunky trainers – a look favoured by his wife, the Princess of Wales.

The royal mother is a huge fan of wearing trainers and regularly reaches for her trusty Vejas whilst out and about.

Aside from her Vejas, Princess Kate’s footwear collection also includes trainers from Superga, New Balance, Nike, Adidas and M&S.

Royal fans were stunned by William’s sporty look. “Think he’ll be a ‘cool’ king. Will he rock up to his coronation wearing them?” wrote one, while a second noted: “Good to see him a little more dressed down and relaxed to meet with the lads,” and a third chimed in: “He wore them last year for Earthshot.”

During the outing, William got stuck in with a practise and showed off his football skills. He took part in several throwing drills before later taking to the pitch as a quarterback.

Former Welsh rugby player, Louis Rees-Zammit said: “He can throw the ball. He can throw the ball better than me. He can get a good spiral on the ball as well, not like me!”

Meanwhile, Phoebe Schecter, GB women’s flag football team captain, said: “His arm strength is incredible. I could not believe how far he could throw the ball. He did a great job. Very coachable.”

The NFL Foundation UK is a charity that works with young people aged 12 to 20 by giving them access to the fast-paced sport.