PICTURES of Prince William sporting a pair of Speedos graced the front pages of several newspapers and numerous websites yesterday but did little to boost sales of the skimpy trunks.

Scores of teenage girls posted admiring messages about the future King’s athletic physique on fan sites but fashionistas said that not even the Prince William could make tiny trunks stylish.

An assistant at the Speedo store in Covent Garden said doubtfully: “We have not sold more because of the pictures but I suppose it’s still early days.”

The Prime Minister was savaged by the press when he paddled in the sea in Speedos on holiday in Barbados last year.

The shorts, which have become the ultimate fashion faux pas, cost about £17 and are made from a shiny “anti-grab” fabric — vital when you are playing water polo.

Prince William made his debut in the Scottish universities water polo squad at the annual Celtic Nations tournament in Cardiff on Saturday.

The 6ft 3in Prince, who captains the St Andrews University water polo team, wore the black and grey Speedos with a navy blue cap tied in a bow under his chin and plastic earguards. His team was beaten 14-7 by Ireland.

Perhaps not suprisingly, demand for tickets to see the Prince competing was high. However, most were allocated to family and friends taking part in the tournament.

Those females who did make it into the Welsh Institute of Sport delivered a sometimes raucous and high-pitched welcome for the royal competitor.

But interest has not just been domestic. Photographs of the Prince in his black Speedos have reputedly become one of the most searched for on the Internet since Saturday’s match — challenging Janet Jackson’s controversial breast appearance at the Super Bowl.

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