William will be in Germany to cheer England in their Euro 2024 Denmark clash
The Prince of Wales is to travel to Germany to cheer on the England men’s football team as they face Denmark in the Euro 2024 tournament.
William, president of the FA, will watch Gareth Southgate’s side in their second Group C stage match at the Frankfurt Arena on June 20 – the day before his 42nd birthday, Kensington Palace announced.
The heir to the throne, who visited the squad to wish them good luck on Monday before they left for Germany, faced criticism in 2023 for not attending the England women’s team’s World Cup football final against Spain in Sydney.
It was the first time the Lionesses had reached the final of a World Cup, and the first time an England football team had competed in a World Cup final since the men’s side beat West Germany in 1966.
William presented shirts to the England men’s squad at the start of the week when he made a surprise visit to St George’s Park, England’s national football centre in Burton upon Trent.
He also shared his youngest son Prince Louis’ advice, who suggested the players “eat twice the amount” to secure their bid for Euros glory.
The trip will be a solo one for William.
The Princess of Wales is away from public duties at the moment while she continues her treatment for cancer.
With the fixture taking place on a school night, the Waleses’ children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Louis – are not expected to accompany him.
William, a passionate Aston Villa fan, will not be at England’s first match of the Uefa tournament – against Serbia – in person on Sunday, but he will undoubtedly be glued to the TV, watching the game.
Meanwhile, the King and former England captain David Beckham were heard discussing England’s chances in the championship on Tuesday evening.
The King chatting to David Beckham at the King’s Foundation’s inaugural awards at St James’s Palace (Kirsty Wigglesworth/PA)
Referring to squad’s 1-0 loss to Iceland on Friday in their final warm-up friendly, Charles, attending the King’s Foundation awards, asked: “What was all that at Wembley?”
Beckham replied: “I don’t think we should read much into it.”
Charles said: “It doesn’t really matter does it? It was a warming up sort of thing. You don’t want to expend it all in one go at the beginning.”
Reassuring the King, Beckham said “we’ll be ready, Gareth will be ready” to which Charles gave the former footballer a thumbs up.
William sent personal messages to the Lionesses last summer after their heartbreaking 1-0 defeat in the World Cup final, but stayed at home to watch the match in Norfolk.
Veteran broadcaster Jon Sopel suggested it was “inconceivable” that William and the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would not have travelled to Australia if the men’s team had been playing, while former England goalkeeper Pauline Cope branded it a “shame” the prince was not there in person.
The England men’s team reached the final of Euro 2020 only to lose on penalties to Italy, while they were eliminated by France in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
