Lioness star Lauren Hemp on meeting Prince William and picking up her MBE: 'I was too busy thinking about my next curtsy to remember how many goals I've scored!'

Not much fazes Lauren Hemp on the football pitch these days, but having to curtsey in front of Prince William was new territory.

The Manchester City forward collected her MBE at Windsor Castle earlier this month after being recognised for services to football in the New Year Honours list.

Hemp, who has 55 caps for the Lionesses, said it was a proud but daunting experience.

‘It was very nerve wracking, I’ve never curtseyed in my life!’ Hemp laughs. ‘I practiced it about 100 times before I went and did it.

‘You had to do it twice, so I got a second chance at perfecting it. To see Prince William, he’s a massive football fan so it made it much easier. It helped with my nerves.’

The Prince of Wales is an Aston Villa supporter and president of the Football Association and took time to have a chat with Hemp about her season so far.

‘We weren’t talking tactics or anything! He was just asking about the season for both club and country, asked when my next camp was, asked about how many goals I’d scored this season which I couldn’t remember off the top of my head, especially as I was trying to remember to curtsy after I’d finished speaking to him.

‘He was lovely and it was a nice short but sweet chat.’

Hemp was one of three England players recognised after last summer’s World Cup, with goalkeeper Mary Earps also awarded MBE while Millie Bright was made OBE.

‘It was a big surprise for me,’ Hemp says of her recognition. ‘Naturally as footballers you’d be thinking about the Ballon d’Or or the FIFA Best, not necessarily about getting an MBE. But it’s an incredible honour and I was so surprised and shocked when I received the letter.

‘I felt pretty speechless to be honest because it’s such an incredible achievement. It’s not recognised just football wise, it’s worldwide and people are getting celebrated for so many different things and it’s an honour to be part of that.’

Hemp has enjoyed another fine season with Manchester City, who narrowly missed out on the Women’s Super League title on the final day of the season - with Chelsea edging them on goal difference.

‘We obviously wanted to win the league and we were so disappointed, you could see so many tears from people because when you work so hard for something over the season, to come so close and yet so far is such a shame,’ Hemp says.

‘But it makes us more hungry and more eager to go on and do it next year and preferably not leave it until the last game.

‘We're getting closer and closer and I know City is on an upward trajectory and it's an exciting time to be part of the club. That's why I stayed and signed a new contract. I knew we were going to be successful and it's only a matter of time before we start winning trophies and picking up league titles.

‘It's such a special group to be a part of and the togetherness within the squad is second to none. I feel like we can bounce back from things so quickly and, having had some time to reflect over the past couple of weeks, I've got nothing but pride when I reflect on the season.’

Hemp ended speculation around her future by putting pen to paper on a new three-year contract in April.

The forward had interest from clubs abroad, with Barcelona understood to be an admirer, but Hemp insisted City is the place she wants to be.

‘I'm glad to have got it over the line now and done over a month ago. I wanted to do it before the end of the season. There was a lot of speculation about different things and I wanted to make sure I had that out there and there weren't going to be any more rumours. I'm really happy that I did that now and very glad that I've chosen to say.

‘Like I say, it's such a special group and I want to be part of that journey over the next couple of years. I love being at City, I love everyone there and the staff. It's a great place to be.’

Hemp will be key as England face back-to-back games with France in Euro 2025 qualifying, with the first coming at Newcastle’s St James’ Park on Friday.

‘We know what we can bring and we also know what they can, and we're going to put ourselves in the best position to be able to go on and beat them,’ Hemp says.

‘They are going to be a tough opposition, and so are the rest of the teams in our group. We know it's not going to be easy, but we've got a lot of confidence within this group to go and take that first step to qualify for the Euros.’