Prince William paused his Easter holiday with his children to offer a heartfelt tribute on Wednesday.
A devoted football fan at 41, he wrote a touching message to England and Aston Villa forward Rachel Daly as she announced her retirement from international football.
In a personal message on X, formerly known as Twitter, William wrote: “Thank you for so many unforgettable performances with @Lionesses @RachelDaly3. Plenty more goals for Villa now! W.”
It was in response to Rachel’s announcement about hanging up her boots for England. “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” she wrote alongside her statement.
The footballer, 32, who has 84 caps, was part of the Lionesses team that won the Euros 2022. Her announcement comes the day after she played in England’s Euro 2025 qualifying win over the Republic of Ireland.
The Lionesses manager, Sarina Wiegman, said of Rachel: “It has been a privilege to work with her. I have never worked with a player so versatile, always with a smile on her face, bringing energy and trying her best for the team.”
William, serving as the President of the FA, has previously encountered the England star and presented the team with winners’ medals at the Euro 2022 final against Germany. Additionally, he surprised the Lionesses at their training ground at St George’s Park in June 2023, ahead of the Women’s World Cup, by presenting head coach Sarina with her CBE in front of the squad.
Despite criticism for not attending the tournament in Australia and New Zealand last summer when the England team reached the final against Spain, William and his daughter, Princess Charlotte, did send a video message to convey their best wishes to the Lionesses.
At that time, it was understood that the Prince opted not to travel due to the considerable distance involved for a short period.
A passionate Aston Villa supporter, William has frequently attended games off-duty over the years. In a 2015 conversation with Gary Lineker, he explained his allegiance to the West Midlands team despite being born in London.
He revealed: “A long time ago at school I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run-of-the-mill teams. I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments.”
