Prince William and Kate Middleton do not impress Boston Celtics stars

The Prince and Princess of Wales made an appearance at TD Garden on Wednesday night for the Boston Celtics' game against the Miami Heat. They were seated courtside, but the players and coach of the home team were unimpressed by their presence.

Prince William and Kate Middleton arrived in the United States for their first visit since 2014. They are in Boston on a three-day visit, which will conclude with William's eco award ceremony, the Earthshot Prize gala on Friday.

The royal couple joined Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck and his wife, Emilia Fazzalari, co-owner Steve Pagliuca and his wife, Judy among others as the Celtics beat the Heat. However, Prince William and Kate Middleton did not get the roaring reception they are accustomed to across the globe.

The jumbotron at TD Garden picked up the royal couple, but cheers from the crowd were almost equally matched by the boos. It was a frosty reception, but it did not seem to faze Prince William or Kate Middleton, who continued to chat with each other while smiling at the camera.

ITV News royal correspondent Chris Ship shared a video documenting the mixed response from the crowd. He wrote: "So both times William and Kate appeared on the TD Garden big screen there were cheers but also some boos. Along with chants of 'USA, USA'."

Similarly, the Celtics coaching staff and players were also equally disinterested when asked about the presence of the Prince and Princess of Wales at the Garden. Head coach Joe Mazzulla was sarcastic in his response when asked if he met with members of the royal family after the game.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph? I'm only familiar with one royal family. I don't know too much about them. But hopefully, they're Celtics fans," the Eastern Conference coach of the month said.

Prior to the game, the official Twitter account of the Prince and Princess of Wales made clear who they were supporting with a message of support to the Celtics. Despite this, Celtics star Jaylen Brown did not think it was special having members of the royal family courtside.

Brown, who finished the game with 26 points, seven rebounds and five assists, said: "It was just a regular game for me," when asked what it was like to play in front of royalty. It was clear that the Celtics team was only focused on the game. They registered their fifth straight win to maintain their place at the top of the East.