express.co.uk
05.03.2022 / 15:13
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'Didn't know' Rugby pro Martin Offiah gobsmacked to find common ground with Prince Charles
Rugby legend Martin Offiah spoke about meeting Prince Charles, revealing that he was pleasantly surprised by the encounter.The rugby star spoke candidly to Express.co.uk on the red carpet for Nordoff Robbins Legends of Rugby Dinner last month. Martin, 56, was awarded an MBE for his services to rugby in 1997 at Buckingham Palace. The sports star recalled: “It was actually Prince Charles who presented me with my MBE back in 1997, which seems like a lifetime ago. “1994 was my best year of course and I still have my statue outside of Wembley.”During his rugby league career, Martin scored over 500 tries, which makes him the third highest try scorer of all time worldwide, and the highest scorer in the UK.The athlete left behind such a legacy that he even has his own statue, alongside four other great rugby players, which stands outside Wembley Stadium.The star went on to describe the Duke of Wales, 73, as being “fantastic” when they first met.“He was fantastic,” Martin gushed as he repeated the sentiment once more. “He talked about the fact that he had played rugby at school and he played second row, which I didn’t know.So yeah, it was a nice little chat.”When asked for his thoughts on the royals, Martin gave a considered response on the subject.“You know, I think your history is your history regardless of whether you think it’s good or bad,” he said.“Similar to our own history, you have to understand it, and the royal family is part of British history.He went on to discuss the potential economic benefits of having a royal family.”“It does bring a lot of money, for want of a better term, into the economy and the purse,” Martin explained.“Yeah, I wouldn’t say I’m a royalist as such, but I’m in favour of the royal family.“I