Prince William has never failed to attract attention.

But the future king turned more heads than usual when he stripped to the waist - revealing a surprisingly toned torso.

William appeared to have lost some weight as he swapped shirts during a charity polo match yesterday.

Stripped bare: Prince William strips down to his bare chest in a field after taking part in a charity polo match at the Ham Polo Club ground in Richmond on Sunday

He looked honed in his bright red polo shirt and seemed happy to peel off as he changed afterwards.

It seems the intensive flying course he took before being awarded his RAF wings in April has toned up the 25-year-old quite nicely.

The prince was competing at the annual Chakravarty Cup event at Ham Polo Club in Richmond with his team Umbongo, to raise money for the Prince's Trust.

Kate Middleton however was nowhere to be seen as her boyfriend bared all.

Kate recently turned down a personal invitation from the Queen to host a table at Royal Ascot this week.

The 26-year-old has said she ‘doesn’t want to be standing in for Prince William again and using her Royal status’.

Last month she represented William at Peter Phillips’s wedding at Windsor Castle while the Prince was in Africa.

Slim will: The heir to the throne unveiled a rather slight frame as he changed into a fresh shirt

Miss Middleton was personally invited by the Queen to host a table for ten friends at the private hospitality tent in the Royal Enclosure this Thursday.

Although Kate, a keen horse racing fan, may well still attend the world-famous sporting event, she has told friends she will not take up the offer to host a complimentary table courtesy of the Queen.

A friend of the Middleton family said: ‘Kate was all set to take the table after having been personally invited by the Queen. She then had second thoughts and politely declined the offer.

Honed: William shows off his athletic side as he dismounts following the match

‘Princes William and Harry were both invited to Ascot, but neither of them can go, and so Kate was invited to take William’s table.

‘She loves the races and would have so enjoyed to host her own table, but she said she doesn’t want to be standing in for William again and using her so-called Royal status.

‘She knows that if she goes in William’s place as a guest of the Queen the engagement rumours will gather momentum and it’s not what she or William want.’

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Like father like son: The Prince of Wales takes his shirt off in preparation for playing polo at the Cartier International in 1994