16 October 2023 , 08:53
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Secrets rarely stay secrets when friends are involved, and that's especially true of famous football friends.
So when England captain Leah Williamson suffered an amusing wardrobe gaffe when collecting her OBE from Prince William at Windsor Castle earlier this month, the moment was never likely to stay in the shadows for long.
The Arsenal defender was recognised in King Charles' first New Year's Honours list released last December, though she waited over eight months to collect the award due to her ongoing rehabilitation since rupturing her anterior cruciate ligament while playing for the Gunners in April.
The wait for Williams to return to full fitness is still ongoing. The 26-year-old expected to make a full return midway through the current season. The Lioness was in attendance on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium to support her team in their Women's Super League clash against Aston Villa.
At half-time, Williamson was interviewed on BBC by close friend and former Gunner Alex Scott, who cheekily cajoled her into sharing the story of her wardrobe malfunction at Windsor Castle.
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Speaking on BBC, Scott quipped: "Is this where I can tell everyone at home? Actually, you can actually. What went on with the outfit?" Williamson had initially explained that she had been able to hide the split in her trousers but revealed the full story to Scott.
"The outfit, yeah, my trousers split," she said, adding: "I received my OBE not in my best form, but no one knew about it until you just told the whole world, so thanks." A laughing Scott replied: "I had to tell everyone, I had to tell everyone!"
Williamson was one of four Lionesses to be recognised following the Euro2022 triumph as Lucy Bronze, Beth Mead and Ellen White were all awarded MBEs.
England star Leah Williamson collects her MBEOn the recognition, Williamson said: "Yeah I'm glad. I really appreciated it by the time it came around. So a nice day out, a nice moment to reflect on where I've come from but you know me, there's still so much to do."
Any potential ill-feeling after revealing the story was likely quashed at full-time of Arsenal's dramatic 2-1 victory over Villa, which saw Mead return to the pitch for the first time since rupturing her ACL and supply the game-winning assist to new signing Alessia Russo in injury-time.
The victory marks the first win of the season for Arsenal who have struggled to tease together their usual rhythm. Williamson hopes to relish a similar return to match fitness as her compatriot and teammate Mead in the coming months.
On her injury, she told Scott: "Yeah it's good, it's good. I'm running, I'm kicking a football like I used to, I don't feel any different so that's good. The lungs need a little bit of time to catch up."