Dad of murdered football star ‘still feels heart sink watching news’ 20 years on

If you asked Kiyan Prince’s dad Mark if he was happy, he would simply say ‘no’.

Today marks 20 years since the death of his 15-year-old son, who was stabbed while trying to break up a fight outside his school gates in Edgware, London.

Kiyan was a footballer for the Queens Park Rangers youth academy, described as a ‘prodigious talent’ with his whole life and career ahead of him.

Mark told Metro: ‘That day still weighs heavily on me. If you told me 20 years ago I would still be swimming through the same grieving process, I would have been shocked.’

People on the street still go up to Kiyan’s mum, Tracy Cumberbatch, remarking how wonderful her eldest son was.

Mark – a former boxer who was made an OBE for his work to reduce knife crime – said he is confronted with his grief every time he hears of the death of a young man stabbed in London.

He said: ‘As soon as you hear of another murder, your heart just sinks. You immediately put yourself in the parents’ shoes.’

Armed with his experience, he offers victims’ families support when they reach out to him.

Although there is nothing much to say, just being together offers a connection ‘that not many can understand’.

‘Sometimes we just sit in silence or pray,’ Mark said. ‘Just me being present, knowing that I have been through the exact same experience, helps people.’

Mark finds himself supporting families monthly, as carrying knives has become all too common for teenagers in London.

In the year ending March 2025, there were 205 murders involving a knife or a sharp instrument in England and Wales.

Some 52 of these involved victims aged under 25, and 14 were aged under 16.

The Kiyan Prince Foundation has been set up to combat this. Marking the 20 years since his son’s death, Mark has created a 20-point blueprint to improve the lives of young people.

This includes better pay and recognition for youth workers, and a longer-term focus and greater prominence for community voices.

‘Teenagers are falling into criminality, county lines gangs, and hurting people because they do not have a focus,’ he said.

The Kiyan Prince Foundation is launching a new campaign, The Champions’ Club, calling for more investment into youth services – including their own.

They are fundraising £400,000 in donations so that the charity can fund a new youth space dedicated to Kiyan’s legacy.

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