By Elmira Tanatarova and Rebecca English Royal Editor At The Daily Mail
15:12 11 Jan 2024, updated 16:10 11 Jan 2024
This is the adorable moment Rob Burrow’s daughters readied themselves for meeting royalty – as the Prince of Wales today made a visit Headingley Stadium to present the rugby legend with his CBE for raising awareness of Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
A sweet video shared by BBC Breakfast on X showed Macy, 11, and Maya, eight, rehearsing a curtsy ahead of the exciting encounter.
Both girls donned smart navy dresses, perfect for today’s occasion.
‘I’m really excited to meet Prince William,’ Macy told the camera. ‘He is a future king, it’s an honour to meet him.’
‘Me too,’ little Maya agreed, smiling in the video.
The Prince of Wales also appeared to be in high spirits as he greeted the nationally revered rugby legend, 41, and his friend Kevin Sinfield – who touched the country’s heart when he carried his friend over the finishing line of the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in May.
A video showed William approaching the pair as the royal admitted he didn’t know ‘how much of a surprise it is that he’s there’.
The Prince then added that it was ‘very nice to finally see’ Rob face to face.
The sporting legend later said that he was proud to accept the CBE on behalf of the MND community.
‘Days like these allow us to keep the spotlight on the disease,’ he added.
‘It was wonderful that His Royal Highness was able to come to Headingley to see us and very much appreciated. It was lovely to talk to him and for him to meet my family.’
William also presented Rob with the CBE – still in its box – as he lauded the former athlete’s work.
‘Thank you and congratulations – for all the inspirational work you’ve done, Rob’ the Prince said. ‘You’ve been amazing, you really have and everyone’s so proud of you. We’ve all been following your case. You’ve changed so many people’s lives with MND with what you’ve done. We’re all so proud of you.’
The royal also placed the CBE around Kevin’s neck and praised his ‘brotherly bond’ with Rob.
‘The relationship between you two has been so amazing to watch,’ William continued. ‘An inspiration for everyone to kind of go like “this is how we help each other”.’
While touring the stadium, Rob told the royal it was ‘an honour’ to meet him and revealed that his daughters have been practicing their curtsies ahead of today.
He also recounted recently meeting Zara Tindall – William’s cousin – and her husband – for his podcast, where Mike Tindall revealed that the Prince of Wales is nicknamed One Pint Willy ‘because he’s not the best of drinkers’.
‘You got the nicknames out of him,’ William laughed. ‘He apologised to me for that!’
Rob, a former captain of the Leeds Rhinos and member of the British rugby league teams, has MND.
Inspired by Rob’s bravery in devoting the rest of his life to raise awareness and funds for those affected by the incurable, merciless degenerative condition affecting the brain and nerves, Kevin has helped him raise more than £15 million for charity through a series of staggering endurance challenges.
Today their efforts are being recognised by the Prince of Wales, who travelled to the Leeds Rhinos ground in Headingly, West Yorkshire, to meet both men and their families.
Kensington Palace said William wanted to personally thank and congratulate them on their remarkable efforts.
His wife, the Princess of Wales, is patron of The Rugby Football League, while his aunt, Princess Anne, is royal patron of the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA).
William was expected to speak with Rob and Kevin about their playing days at Leeds Rhinos, where they were teammates from 2001 to 2015 and won a slew of trophies together including three World Club titles.
The Prince then plans to join a conversation with both men and their families to hear more about their efforts over the past four years to champaign and support those impacted by MND across the UK and Ireland.
Rob, a married father of three young children, is now unable to talk but can articulate his thoughts through Eyegaze, a device which translates blinks into letters and then builds them into words on a screen.
MND sees messages from motor neurones in the brain and the spinal cord, which tell the body’s muscles what to do, gradually stop working.
This causes the muscles to weaken, stiffen and waste.
Symptoms progress at varying speeds but sufferers will often experience problems in walking, talking, eating, drinking and breathing.
MND is brutal and life-shortening.
While some can survive for many years, such as Professor Stephen Hawking who lived with the condition for 55 years, for many the prognosis is less than five years. There is no cure and just one licensed drug in the UK which only has a ‘modest effect’ in slowing down progress of the disease.
Charities such as the Motor Neurone Disease Association work to support sufferers and their families, particularly with managing their quality of life, as well fund research to find a cure for the disease.
MND affects up to 5,000 adults in the UK at any one time – one in 300 people will be affected during their lifetime – and is more prevalent in people over the age of 50.
Rob was diagnosed with the disease in 2019 shortly after retiring from professional sport and was given just two years to live.
Since then he has defiantly fought its progress and devoted himself to fund-raising for a range of MND charities, as well as building a dedicated MND centre at the Seacroft Hospital in Leeds.
In his honour Kevin has tasked himself with several challenges for the cause: running seven marathons in seven days, 101 miles in 24 hours and then seven ultra-marathons in seven days.
He recently told the Daily Mail: ‘The very best of us are diagnosed with MND. They are fighters. They have unbelievable spirit. But it’s so difficult for family and friends because what MND does to the body is so gruesome and tragic and some people can’t face it.
‘I felt helpless. What could I do for Rob besides being a good mate? I knew I want to be there for him and try to show him that I would be, no matter what.
‘He’s an inspiration. He inspires me to be better, to take risks, to do the right thing as far as I can. Our friendship is unconditional. And I know he would have done the same for me.’
Rob is equally lost in admiration for his friend, saying: ‘What sort of friend would put his life at risk for me, forgoing sleep, spending time apart from his family and risking permanent injury or worse? True friends like Kevin are always with their friends even when times are tough.
‘Kevin and I have been shoulder to shoulder from day one, fighting this battle against MND.’
Both Kevin and Rob received CBEs in the 2024 New Years Honours List.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
