The England team received a send-off from William, Prince of Wales ahead of the defence of their European Championship title in Switzerland.
Prince William, a patron of the English Football Association (FA), was welcomed to St George’s Park by head coach Sarina Wiegman and FA CEO Mark Bullingham, where he addressed the players and staff who leave for Switzerland later on Monday.
“I just want to say the best of luck to all of you,” Prince William said. “I know there is a huge expectation on you now from your successes — that is good, that’s also going to be in the back of your minds a bit as you go out there. But I know how you’re going to play — with freedom and team camaraderie.”
That camaraderie was evident throughout the visit. As the squad lined up for a photo with Prince William, there were jokes at a dramatic sneeze from Bayern Munich’s Georgia Stanway and Chelsea’s Aggie Beever-Jones was absent-mindedly singing Ellie Goulding’s ‘Love Me Like You Do’. If they were intimidated by the royal visit or the challenge ahead, they hid it well.
Prince William discussed Sunday’s 7-0 win against Jamaica and the mood in camp with Wiegman on the way into the building. He also spoke separately to captain Leah Williamson, who presented him with shirts for his children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis — before he left.
Upon arrival, the Prince visited an FA Made For This Game football session with girls’ school football teams, where he met former Lionesses Rachel Brown-Finnis and Kerry Davis, as well as coaches and young players. All the girls present — who were participating with such gusto that Wiegman had to step in to knock a wayward pass back to them — were on school teams formed after England’s 2022 victory.
“I was chatting to some of the young girls earlier about what was inspiring them and why they got into football, and you all are the reason they’ve got into football,” Prince William told the senior squad.
“Ten years ago, women’s football was barely seen in the light it is today. Those opportunities have changed because of what you’ve done. So don’t take it lightly when you say you really had an impact on people’s lives.”
The Prince was also shown how to print shirts by FA staff, and did so for Manchester United’s Maya Le Tissier and Beever-Jones. Speaking to the pair and Arsenal’s Michelle Agyemang, who are all participating in their first major tournament, Prince William asked how they were feeling: “Excited? Nervous?”
“Everything,” Beever-Jones and Agyemang replied.
The Prince printing a shirt (Darren Staples/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
“For the seven of you who are starting your first major tournament, the very best of luck,” Prince William added later as he addressed the whole squad. “You all seem very relaxed and very together with it, which is fantastic news. Go and enjoy yourselves.”
At the end of the visit, just a few metres away from where staff were loading rows of the players’ suitcases into vans, the squad and staff assembled to have shirts presented to them by Prince William.
Wiegman said: “You always show great support to us, we know you’re a great fan of us too. But I hope you also feel the vibe, because I think we’re ready. We’re ready to take off this afternoon to Switzerland, and I hope we can make you proud, our family and friends proud, ourselves proud, and the country proud.”
Prince William told the squad, who assembled in matching ‘Everyone’s watching the Lionesses’ t-shirts: “You’re brilliant together. You create a very unique unit. It is rare in lots of other sports.
“Hold on to that, treasure that, build on it, because it’s one of your greatest assets.”
(Top photo of Leah Williamson, Prince Williamson, and Mark Bullingham: Darren Staples/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)