麻豆社

Maidenhead United Football Club have made a new signing this week. The club have unveiled His Royal Highness Prince Frederick von Saxe-Lauenberg as their new patron.

His Royal Highness is related to every reigning King and Queen in Europe and shares a common ancestor with Queen Elizabeth II in King Henry II.

Speaking at the unveiling, Prince Frederick said 鈥淚t was with great pleasure that I accepted Maidenhead United Football Club鈥檚 kind invitation to be their Patron."

He has been involved in peace activism since the early 1980's and is the founder and president of Children Of The World 2000, a not for profit organisation supported by the United Nations.

Maidenhead United, who play in the Blue Square South, have agreed to join forces with whoever sponsors their historic York Road ground 鈥� officially recognised by the Football Association as the world鈥檚 oldest continuously used football ground by the same club 鈥� to help raise 拢30,000 for a 'Magpies in Africa' international education and football project.

Magpies fans will have an opportunity to meet HRH Prince von Saxe-Lauenberg at York Road later on next month. His first official visit to the football club will be for the Geoff Thomas Foundation Legends XI v Maidenhead United XI match on Sunday, April 20 (kick-off 1pm).

The Prince will visit York Road in April

鈥淚 will do my utmost best, when time permits, to serve the club in my duty as Patron,鈥澨� the prince said.

Maidenhead United Football Club鈥檚 chairman Una Loughrey added 鈥淚t is fitting that Maidenhead United play in the Royal County and now have a prince as our patron. I am very much looking forward to welcoming Prince Frederick to York Road.鈥�

Prince von Saxe-Lauenberg spoke to 麻豆社 Radio Berkshire's Phill Kennedy shortly after his appointment and explained how the move came about.

What was the attraction of Maidenhead United?

"Well it was Mark Roach the commercial marketing manager for the club who approached me out of the blue actually, he'd heard about my work with humanitarian aid over the world, as founder of Children Of The World 2000 and of my work with Live Aid back in the 80's and it all started from there.

"Mark then went onto my website, read about the charities I work with and decided to chose one that really resonated with the board of directors and the fans. He chose The Penny-On Trust and we're very honoured and pleased that they have chosen us as their favoured charity and we hope that will continue for a very long time."

If people don't know you and ask what you do, do you say "I'm a prince"?

I don't announce the fact to people that I am a prince, I'm just an ordinary guy who does a normal days work, in my respect charity work, I'm also a business consultant, involved in the travel business and also in the Media industry.

So what exactly are your royal links?

"Its stretches back over 1000 years. The common ancestor with Her Majesty the Queen is Henry II, he had a daughter called Maude who married Henry The Lion, we are descendants from that connection and through that link we are related to every single reigning Royal Family and non-reigning Royal Family in Europe."