England's WAGs hoping for privacy at World Cup

They were once happy to parade through the host cities of the World Cup, proudly displaying not only their loyalty to the team but also their own unique charms.

Who can forget after all the sight of Victoria Beckham, Coleen McLoughlin and Louise Bonsall as they lit up the streets of Baden-Baden with their blend of high glamour and girl-next door, dancing on nightclub tables and holding impromptu shopping trips in front of the world’s press during Germany 2006.

But today’s generation of WAGs appear to be far more shy and retiring.

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So much so that the FA has retained the services of Farrer & Co, the Queen's solicitors, to safeguard the privacy of the wives and girlfriends of England’s 2018 World Cup squad.

With intense focus on the on-pitch fortunes of the players a number of their partners are understood to have expressed concern at the prospect of finding themselves the subject of attention over the coming weeks.

The FA is also concerned that coverage of what the players’ families are doing - either back home or in Russia - could distract the team.

It comes despite Rebekah Vardy, the wife of England striker Jamie, giving interviews and explaining on social media why says she is taking the couple’s children out of school to travel to Russia to support him.

She said: "I'm going initially for 12 straight days, so we're taking the kids out of school, and I've got the school's blessing to do so. I don't have to go, but I couldn't not go. I want to be there to support my husband.”

In response to some criticism of her decision Mrs Vardy - who has previously appeared on I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here - added: “My kids have the opportunity of experiencing something amazing! It’s not a holiday on the beach. Also a tutor and homework! So in reality I’m homeschooling for 12 days... problem with that?”

A number of the other WAGs also frequently appear on social media, with the likes of Megan Davison, the girlfriend of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford; defender Phil Jones’s wife Kaya and Dele Alli’s 23-year-old girlfriend Ruby Mae, a model, posting photograph of themselves along with comments about their daily lives.

Many of the team’s partners appear to have stayed away from Russia, perhaps daunted not only by the huge distances involved in travelling to England’s matches, but also the poor state of relations between Putin’s regime and the west.

Kaya and Phil Jones were apart for their wedding anniversary on Saturday, with Mrs Jones, who gave birth to a baby daughter last month, posting a plane emoji and heart on Twitter, saying “sending all our love to you”.

Similarly, Ms Davison posted a photograph of herself on Instagram in a white spotted dress standing on an apartment balcony in Vilamoura, Portugal, as her boyfriend prepared for England’s opening match against Tunisia tomorrow.

Several of the player’s partners are reluctant to discuss their relationships in public, preferring to remain out of sight, just as many of the current squad have yet to become household names compared to the superstar status of previous player such as David Beckham and Wayne Rooney.

Rebecca Burnett – the 27-year old's wife of Jordan Henderson, shies away from media attention, as do John Stones’s girlfriend Millie Savage and Fabian Delph’s wife Natalie.

Russia 2018 looks likely to be an altogether more restrained affair than Germany 2006.

“It's not like Baden-Baden where we're all going to be going out getting drunk and dancing on tables, and things like that,” said Mrs Vardy.