Prince William missed his calling as an NFL quarter-back judging by his performance at a public engagement.

The Prince of Wales showcased a previously unknown talent as he played flag football – a non-contact version of American football – earlier this year. The royal was appearing at an NFL-organised event in south London for youngsters living in deprived areas of the country.

In front of children from Birmingham, Manchester and London, the prince demonstrated an "unbelievable arm" as he had a go at the sport, which will make its Olympic debut in 2028. Youngsters yelled "what a throw" as acting quarter-back William threw the ball across the pitch to his team-mate.

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William told Team GB’s women's flag football captain Phoebe Schecter that he had played American football on the beach in his youth. He attempted to play down his ability, saying he had tried his hand at most sports but "not very well".

Schecter disagreed though, saying: “Honestly, Prince William was great – his arm strength is unbelievable, when he let that first ball rip, I couldn’t believe it.

“I think if we had better receivers around, we would have had multiple touchdowns happening. His ability to take control of the offence, going into a completely unfamiliar territory really, calling the cadence, receiving the ball, doing a hand-off at one point, making those tactical decisions – it was phenomenal.”

British NFL star Louis Rees-Zammit, who attended the same event, was similarly impressed with William’s ability. The former rugby union star admitted: “I mean [William] can throw the ball, he can throw the ball a lot better than me.

“So thankfully in my role [as a wide receiver] I just have to run and catch, so I don’t have to throw the ball – I got one in so he definitely beat me!”

Flag football will make its Olympic debut at the Los Angeles Games, with William saying the action “will be amazing”. He added: “I hope it gets a lot of coverage.”