Video released of Prince William playing cricket near palace

A video of Prince William playing cricket with the legends of the game near Buckingham Palace has been shared on social media.

The Prince of Wales turned one of London's most famous thoroughfares, The Mall leading to Buckingham Palace, into a temporary cricket ‌pitch on Tuesday, where he was joined by some of the game's biggest names to promote his Earthshot climate prize.

The wide red-paved promenade in the heart of the city is more often seen ⁠as the setting for grand royal processions and patriotic flag-waving celebrations.

But on Tuesday, William picked up a cricket bat for an informal game with current and former international players including ex-Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, West Indies legend Brian Lara and England captain Joe Root.

Against the palatial backdrop, William - dressed in a shirt ‌and ⁠sweater - clubbed away a series of gentle deliveries from Ganguly and posed for selfies with onlookers.

"He batted alright," said Ganguly when asked for his verdict on the prince's ⁠skills.

Earlier Kensington Palace released photos of William playing cricket with the caption, "Celebrating The Earthshot Prize heading to Mumbai with a game of cricket on the Mall! 

A pleasure welcoming cricketers from the UK and India to recognise the important role sport can play in bringing people together and inspiring positive action."

The prize, founded in ⁠2020, ​honours five winners with £1 million ($1.32 ​million) each to scale solutions aimed at repairing the planet.