The Prince and Princess of Wales have interrupted their summer holidays to share a touching message for the Lionesses during the Women’s World Cup.
England are now heading into the knockout stages of the tournament in Australia and New Zealand after a 6-1 victory against China on Tuesday.
Prince William and Kate’s official Twitter account retweeted a post from the Lionesses, which read: “Into the knockouts, we go. The hard work continues.”
With their retweet, the Prince and Princess added: “We’re all cheering you on @Lionesses! Good luck for the knockout stages [football emoji].”
William has been president of the Football Association since 2006, and ever since, he has been a huge advocate for promoting and supporting women’s football.
Ahead of the World Cup, the Prince visited the Lionesses at St George’s Park in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, to wish the players and staff good luck.
William also surprised head coach Sarina Wiegman with an honorary CBE, with the royal joking that he did not usually “travel up and down the country to present them” but said: “There’s one person that deserves this more than anyone else.”
As the team clapped and cheered, Sarina said: “I really did not expect this. It’s very pretty.”
She added: “Thank you very much, but it’s all about the team. I am so honoured, I feel a bit emotional. Let’s go and make some more history.”
Father-of-three William was joined by his daughter, Princess Charlotte, as they shared a good luck video for the Lionesses ahead of the Euro 2022 final.
The Prince kicked off by saying: “We both want to wish the Lionesses the best of luck for tonight. You’ve done amazingly well in the competition and we are rooting for you all the way.”
Charlotte finished by adding: “Good luck, I hope you win. Bye.”
William also presented the Lionesses with the trophy at the Euro final, as the England squad defeated Germany 2-1 in a nail-biting final.
The Lionesses will face Nigeria in the next round on Monday 7 August.
Where are William and Kate enjoying their summer holidays?
The Prince and Princess of Wales usually spend the school summer holidays with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis privately.
They typically like to relocate to their Norfolk abode, Anmer Hall, for some of the breaks, and it’s also likely that they will join King Charles as he hosts his first summer retreat at Balmoral.
