Prince William Shares Rare Comment About His ‘Harry Potter’ Forehead Scar from Childhood Incident

The Prince of Wales was reminded of his distinctive scar during his most recent visit to Wales

Prince William visits Cardiff, Wales, on June 11, 2024. PHOTO: GEOFF CADDICK/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY

Prince William’s latest royal engagement conjured up a childhood accident that left him with a memorable scar.

During his visit to Wales on June 11, Prince William, 41, explored the diverse uses of sea-grown plants, ranging from food to alternative resources. The Prince of Wales journeyed to Cardiff by train, sharing a snapshot on social media. The photo depicted him gazing out of the window, with a phone and monogrammed binder arranged on the table before him.

Once in Wales, the prince met with businesses that use seaweed to create products like fast food packaging. Kensington Palace says William wanted to celebrate the “progress already achieved in Wales and learn about further seaweed innovations that could support the Welsh seaweed industry reach its full potential.”

Catching up with Pierre Paslier of Notpla, William recalled a childhood golfing accident that left him with a scar on his forehead as he was shown the company’s golf tee, made from seaweed.

Paslier tells PEOPLE, “He was looking at the prototype, and I asked him if he likes golfing. He injured himself famously as a kid and pointed to his head and said, ‘No golf for me.’ No golfing for him!”

Prince William in July 2003.TIM GRAHAM PHOTO LIBRARY VIA GETTY

Prince William previously called the injury his “Harry Potter scar,” according to BBC’s Newsround.

“I call it that because it glows sometimes and some people notice it – other times they don’t notice it at all,” he said. “I got hit by a golf club when I was playing golf with a friend of mine. We were on a putting green, and the next thing you know there was a seven iron — and it came out of nowhere and hit me in the head.

Prince William visits Cardiff Metropolitan University in Wales on June 11, 2024.GEOFF CADDICK/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY

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The outing at Cardiff Metropolitan University was set up by Prince William’s environmental project, the Earthshot Prize, and Wales’ Future Generations Commissioner to celebrate and uncover the wonders of seaweed. Two of the businesses represented at the showcase included Sustainable packaging startup Notpla, which won the Build a Waste-Free World category at the Earthshot Prize awards in November 2022, and the 2023 Earthshot Prize finalist Sea Forest.

Prince William celebrates seaweed and food innovation in Wales on June 11, 2024.ANDREW PARSONS / KENSINGTON PALACE

Paslier, co-founder and co-CEO of Notpla, also showed the Prince of Wales the organization’s latest products including an ice cream spoon.

“We’ve had the privilege of meeting him several times since we won the prize. He really knows his stuff. He really knows seaweed,” Paslier says.

Notpla already has a deal to provide packaging at stadiums and venues around the U.K. including Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, barely a mile from where William was visiting on June 11. That follows Notpla’s showcasing their products for fans at a summer 2023 Coldplay concert at the stadium in Cardiff, which William and Kate frequently visit to watch international rugby matches.

Paslier said that Prince William “has identified the potential and sees how huge the industry can be. He really wants to be the accelerator of the industry here in Wales and elsewhere.”

Prince William visits Cardiff, Wales, to celebrate the seaweed industry and food innovation on June 11, 2024.GEOFF CADDICK/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY

At the university, Prince William also visited the ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, which provides food businesses with technical, operational and commercial support. One tie-up has seen Câr-Y-Môr(which translates to “For the Love of the Sea”) provide kelp and seaweed to a company called High Tide which makes a baked seaweed snack bar in Swansea, Wales.

In September, Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, were taken out on the water for a tour of a seaweed farm off the coast of West Wales. At Câr-Y-Môr, they were shown where the regenerative farm grows its produce and some of the seafood it also harvests. Owen Haines from Câr-Y-Môr recalled taking the Prince and Princess of Wales out on their boat, saying that Kate liked the product more than her husband.

When given some sugar kelp soon after it was pulled from the sea, “He pulled a funny face. Kate liked it,” Haines says. “You can always tell when people try it, and her expression was like, ‘That’s an awful lot over than I thought it would be.’ And his was like, ‘Urgh.’ “

Prince William and Kate Middleton visit a seaweed farm in Wales on Sept. 8, 2023.ARTHUR EDWARDS/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY

Haines says that Prince William is “genuinely interested” in their work.

“I enjoy his company — I’d have a pint with him,” Haines tells PEOPLE. “He seems to empathize with trying to get things going in isolated coastal communities.”

The innovations all fit in with one of Prince William’s Earthshot Prize’s key missions: to uncover and help boost solutions to the planet’s environmental issues. The royal’s aides and the Earthshot Prize team are buoyed by the increasing demand for sustainable alternatives that promote both ecological and economic sustainability.

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Prince William celebrates the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales on June 11, 2024.GEOFF CADDICK/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY

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Last year, Francois Beyers co-founder of Câr-Y-Môr told PEOPLE that William’s involvement in inspiring the prize can have knock-on benefits to organizations like his. “It’s incredibly important that somebody of that stature like the Prince is able to step up and say, ‘We have got a crisis, we need to do something,’ ” he said. “And he’s established Earthshot that gives the opportunity for out-of-the-box thinking.”

“We look to nature to solve human problems,” he continued, “With the rise of sea temperatures and plastic pollution, and over-fishing — all the things we humans have done to this beautiful earth and oceans — we need to look to solutions to fix that. And ocean farms can do that. It can re-establish marine habitat and absorb all kinds of nutrients that run off into our ocean.”

Prince William celebrates the seaweed industry and food innovation in Wales on June 11, 2024.GEOFF CADDICK/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY

Prince William’s visit was ahead of a busy weekend for him and other fellow members of the royal family. In addition to honoring D-Day, they are preparing to celebrate King Charles’ official birthday at Trooping the Colour in London on June 15.