Auckland, Jan. 19 (ANI): The schoolboy, who accidentally hurled a rugby ball into Prince William’s groin while the royal was on a visit to Eden Park stadium in Auckland, has apologised to Wills’ girlfriend Kate Middleton.

“Sorry Kate, forgive me. I hope I haven’t ruined all your dreams. I was going to apologise to William when it happened, but he was talking so much that I never got the chance,” The Sun quoted Sebastian Diedricks, 10, as saying.

The budding winger was among 12 rugby club youngsters invited to play with the 27-year-old Prince at the arena.

Sebastian said: “We were playing with two balls and he was concentrating on the other one. He looked at me so I passed to him - then he turned to someone else and my pass hit him.

“He screamed, then said, ‘You’re naughty. I’m keeping my eyes on you’. Everyone laughed, but it was just an accident,” he added.

The incident lifted Seb’s spirits after engineer dad Nick died of a brain tumour last month.

“Dad loved rugby. I bet he would have laughed too.”

His mother Lynn, 41, said: “Seb was really happy afterwards.”

Prince William gave an audible yelp and winced as a ball thrown by a schoolboy from Pakuranga club in Auckland hit him between the legs.

Earlier, the 27-year-old heir to the British throne joined the youngsters on the pitch of Auckland’s Eden Park stadium which is undergoing a 110-million-pound redevelopment and will open later this year.

The youngsters had been playing mini rugby at the stadium, which will be the key sporting venue for the 2011 Rugby World Cup being hosted by New Zealand next year. (ANI)