The Prince of Wales is set to attend the FA Cup final at London’s Wembley Stadium on Saturday

Prince William is off to one of his favorite sporting events amid the slowdown in royal outings due to the U.K.’s general election campaign.

William, 41, is heading to the showpiece end of the English soccer season on Saturday. He is set to attend the FA Cup final between teams Manchester City and Manchester United at Wembley Stadium in London.

The Prince of Wales, who is President of the Football Association — the governing body of the sport in England and Wales — will hand over the trophy to the winners of the match. He also typically greets the players before the game kicks off.

Prince William at last year’s Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, London on May 14, 2023. PHOTO: NAOMI BAKER – THE FA/THE FA VIA GETTY IMAGES

William is attending despite some of his royal engagements being postponed or canceled due to the announcement of an upcoming general election in Britain. Earlier this week, royal engagements slated for the rest of the week were canceled after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on May 22, called the surprise general election.

Charles had an outing planned for May 23 and two more on May 24. The palace hopes to reschedule the stops. William also had a royal outing scheduled for this week that was abruptly canceled. The royal family will continue to postpone engagements “which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement on May 22.

Prince William at the Women’s FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium, London on May 14, 2023. CHLOE KNOTT – DANEHOUSE/GETTY

The U.K. general election will take place on July 4 and, until then, William and other senior royals have signaled that they will not be as public for the coming weeks, to keep out of the political fray. The royals, who are constitutionally non-political, traditionally leave the public space to the country’s political parties during campaigns.

The teams in this year’s FA Cup final are a repeat of last year, when Manchester City came out winners over their rivals from across Manchester.

William, meanwhile, is a regular at the FA Cup final and is a passionate soccer fan. He and his son, Prince George, 10, love to attend games involving their favorite Premier League side, Aston Villa, from the city of Birmingham. On April 11, cameras caught the Prince of Wales, 41, and his son, 10, standing up and clapping at the team’s match against French team Lille, with Prince George sporting a scarf around his neck.

Aston Villa secured the win with a score of 2-1. As he left the stadium, William was asked if George was now “part of the pride,” a phrase Villa supporters use to describe their team’s followers.

Prince William cheering on Aston Villa on his last visit to the stadium, on May 2, 2024. JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES

“Oh yes, he’s loving it,” William replied, according to sports journalist Neil Moxley, who shared the exchange on X (formerly Twitter.)

William has also taken George to see the national team, England, play — most famously alongside Kate Middleton in the final of the European Championships in July 2021. George was also in the stands with his parents when the team advanced to the quarterfinals.

While it remains to be seen what the next six weeks might look like for working royals like King Charles and Prince William, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said that the royal family will postpone engagements that could be seen as a conflict amid the election.

“Their Majesties send their sincere apologies to any of those who may be affected as a result,” the spokesperson said.