Prince William said Kevin Sinfield’s charity run was a “very fitting tribute” to the late Rob Burrow.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have sent their best wishes to Kevin Sinfield as he prepares to take part in a “hard-fought” charity run in memory of late rugby star Rob Burrow.

The Leeds Rhinos legend died in June, aged 41, after a long battle with motor neurone disease (MND), and Prince William and his wife Catherine, both 42, were among those cheering on the former rugby union coach as he prepared to run 50km a day from Liverpool to Northampton for a week to raise money for six charities in Rob’s memory.

In a video message posted to X, William said: “Catherine and I just wanted to wish you the best of luck in what is going to be a very tiring week.

“What you and Rob have achieved is incredible and it is a fitting tribute to his legacy, what you are achieving again this week. I am sure you will be thinking of him along the way.

“Good luck to Catherine and me. We’ll be thinking of you all this week.”

Kevin is aiming to raise £777,777 as Rob’s team has the number 7.

Following the sad news of Rob’s death, the royal couple paid an emotional tribute to the athlete.

They wrote: “A football legend, Rob Burrow had a big heart.

“He taught us that, “in a world full of adversity, we must dare to dream.”

“Catherine and I send our love to Lindsey, Jackson, Maya and Macy.”

Rob – who won every domestic honour during his playing career with Leeds Rhinos and was called up by both England and Great Britain – was diagnosed with the degenerative condition in 2019 and he and his loved ones, including Kevin, have worked tirelessly to raise awareness and millions of pounds to help those affected by the condition.

William has honoured Rob and former teammate Kevin with CBEs in the 2024 New Year Honours list for services to raising awareness of motor neurone disease.

He was awarded an MBE in 2021 for services to rugby union and the motor neurone disease community, before he and Kevin were upgraded to CBEs this year.