Prince Richard of Hanover

Richard Turlington
Personal information
Full name	Richard Thomas Charles Alexander
Date of birth	August 5, 1999 (age 25)
Place of birth	London, England
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Position(s)	Attacking midfielder
Club information
Current team	Arsenal
Number	99
Youth career
2011 - 2019	Arsenal
Senior career*
Years	Team
2019 -	Arsenal
International career
2016 - 2018	England U18
2018 - 2020	England U20
2020 -	England
Honours
Men's football
Representing England
FIFA World Cup
UEFA European Championship
FIFA U-20 World Cup
UEFA European Under-19 Championship
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Prince Richard of Hanover (Richard Thomas Charles Alexander; born 5 August 1999), alternatively known as Richard Turlington, is an English footballer and a member of the British royal family. The only son of King Thomas and the American supermodel, Christy Turlington, Richard currently plays as an attacking midfielder for the Premier League club, Arsenal. Known for his creativity, vision, and acute finishing, Richard is considered to be one of the most talented attacking midfielders in the world, and at Arsenal, is often considered to be the successor to longtime former Arsenal midfielder, Mesut Özil. A dynamic and highly effective midfielder, Richard has occasionally played as a striker for Arsenal, given his goalscoring prowess, as well as a wide midfielder where he particularly excels in orchestrating attacks in the wider areas of the pitch.

A product of the Arsenal youth academy, Richard, following an almost decade-long spell at the academy, gained promotion to the senior team in 2019, where he helped secure the club qualification to the UEFA Europa League in his debut season, while also winning the FA Cup through a 4-1 victory over Chelsea. Then, in the following 2020-21 season, despite ultimately achieving no trophies in the end, Richard, in addition to being the leading overall club goalscorer of the season, otherwise notably helped Arsenal qualify for the UEFA Champions League following a period of absence from the tournament. Meanwhile, during the 2022-23 season, Richard crucially helped Arsenal win their first Premier League title in almost two decades, while also setting the new record of most goals scored in a season with 43 goals, beating the previous record held by William Smith with 39 goals scored during the 2005-06 season.

On the international level, Richard has come to represent England from the youth level, where as part of the U18 squad, he won the 2017 UEFA European Under-19 Championship, as well as the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup, where he also received a Golden Boot award as the tournament's top goalscorer. Then, in 2020, following a brief spell with the U20 squad the previous year, Richard gained promotion to the England senior team, with his first major tournament being the UEFA Euro 2020, where England ultimately finished as runner-up following a narrow 2-3 loss via penalties to Italy in the finals. Nonetheless, Richard went on to represent England at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which England successfully won 4-2 via penalties in the finals against Argentina to claim their fifth World Cup title, with Richard himself receiving both FIFA's Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards for his performance in the tournament, particularly in the quarter-finals fixture against France, which England ultimately won 3-2 via a brace from Richard and a lone penalty goal from forward, Harry Kane.

Early Life

Style of Play

Considered by many to be the successor to former Arsenal midfielder, Mesut Özil, Richard, in his primary role as an attacking midfielder for his club, has often been noted for his commendable work-rate, as well as his vision and creativity as a player, with teammate Bukayo Saka once stating in an interview about the royal, "Whether he's on to support the strikers or to score goals himself, rest assured, he'll have at least one hundred and one ways to do it, with all of the options being both in his mind and at his immediate disposal". Similarly, Arsenal head coach, Mikel Arteta even once likened the prince to a Swiss Army knife, stating, "On the surface, he might be confined and prescribed to one specific role, but give him the space and the teammates to do it, he can surely do just about everything you're hoping for". In the meantime, despite his primary role as a midfielder, Richard has, on some occasions, been deployed as a second striker given his penchant for scoring goals despite playing in a relatively deep position, as well as a wide midfielder, often in a playmaking capacity, so as to utilise his creativity and talent in delivering quick but accurate passes towards his teammates in the central area of the pitch and occasionally in the higher areas up the pitch.

In addition to his well-recognised vision and creativity as a playmaker, Richard has also been praised for his high work-rate levels, with former Arsenal forward, Thierry Henry comparing the royal to a "tireless stallion always running around, outpacing and leaving everyone in the dust".

While generally considered by many Arsenal supporters to be the successor of Mesut Özil, whom played for the club from 2013 to 2021 in an almost decade-long period, Richard himself revealed in a BBC interview that in gradually assuming his primary role as an attacking midfielder for Arsenal, he did indeed took much inspiration from Özil, whom he considers an "undeniable club legend", while at the same time, also greatly looking up to former Chelsea midfielder, Frank Lampard as a role model in playing as a midfielder, stating that Lampard has "all the good things that make a great and outstanding midfielder, especially one that's dynamic and flexible as him".

Owing to his given name and personal wealth as a member of the British royal family, Richard is popularly known by the nickname "Richie Rich", which he shares with the fictional character played by American actor, Macaulay Culkin in the 1994 film of the same name. On the other hand, others have occasionally nicknamed him the "Steward of Arsenal", owing to his history as an academy graduate of the club and his contributions to it, which notably included their first Premier League title in twenty years.

Personal Life

As the younger sibling of the reigning Queen Alexandra, Richard is currently second in line to the British, Dutch, and Luxembourgish thrones respectively. In spite of this, with his growing football career in mind, Richard is otherwise said to have largely led a comparably quieter lifestyle, but whom is also not necessarily averse towards interacting with the media if possible, particularly sports-related media including BT Sport and Sky Sports.

Coincidentally enough, in addition to being much similar to his older sister, Alexandra, especially in terms of football clubs represented, with both siblings having played for the men's and women's Arsenal teams respectively, Richard is also known to have owned his own Porsche automobile, namely a Porsche 982, which he would often be spotted driving to and from his football workplace.

In addition to sharing an association with both Arsenal and the German automobile manufacturer, Porsche, Richard, much like his older sister, is also reported to be in a relationship with an Arsenal Women player, namely Leah Williamson, whom currently captains the England women's national team.

Titles & Honours

5 August 1999 - Present His Royal Highness The Prince Richard

Honours

National & Commonwealth

United Kingdom - Royal Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
United Kingdom - Recipient of the Medal of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of King Charles III
United Kingdom - Extra Knight of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle
United Kingdom - Grand Cross of the Royal Guelphic Order
United Kingdom - Member of the Order of St. George