Aston Villa duo Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa are in the England squad for Euro 2024 in Germany
Prince William has wished the England men’s football team good luck as they prepare to jet off to Germany for Euro 2024.
The Prince of Wales, who is the president of the FA, visited St George’s Park, England’s national football centre in Burton-upon-Trent earlier today. In a rallying speech to the players, the prince said: “I was on the school run this morning with the children and I said ‘What shall I say to the England team today?’
“The best bit of advice I got [for] you was to eat twice the amount you normally would eat. So I then had visions of all of you running around with massive great tummies and loads of stitches on the pitch so I think maybe take my youngest’s advice with a pinch of salt.”
After giving his short speech, he spent time with the whole team, including Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins and Ezri Konsa. He presented both players with their Euro 2024 shirts, as well as the other 24 members in the Three Lions squad.
Schools from across the Midlands were invited to the training ground to celebrate the competition. Children from the schools are playing against each other in a festival in football, with England boss Gareth Southgate dropping in to watch the matches and meet some of those who take part.
William is known to be a football fan and often appears at Aston Villa games with his sons. The prince revealed his love Villa to the BBC in 2015: “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.
Exact moment Prince William showed ‘raw emotion’ in rare outburst at Euro 2024
Prince William is “just like any other football fan” as he showed “raw emotion” at the Euros, a body language expert has claimed.
William, president of the Football Association, travelled to Dusseldorf on Saturday to watch England’s quarter final clash against Switzerland, and was spotted cheering and singing along with the other fans in the stadium, before taking part in the national anthem.
The future monarch was also in the stands to see England draw 1-1 with Denmark in Frankfurt during the group stage, but this time was present for a win, as the team were victorious on penalties.
Now a body language expert says the Prince made a rare outburst of emotion as he watched England go through a dramatic penalty shoot during the game. Speaking on behalf of Betfair Casino, expert Darren Stanton says the Prince of Wales felt a “huge sense of pride” watching England – but still “prepared himself for potential disappointment” during the intense match.
As William was spotted punching the air and roaring along with fans, Darren explained the Royal showed a “more expressive side” to his personality by displaying “rare raw emotion” during the game and going “a step further” than he normally would at Royal engagements. He adds that the future King wanted to portray himself in a more “relatable” and “trustworthy” light.
Darren said: “We saw William in a much more relaxed manner than ever before. During many of his engagements as the Prince of Wales, William shows feelings of happiness when necessary but still displays a professional manner.
“Normally, William would show a few smiles and walk with a stride in his step to show genuine contentment – but this time, he went a step further. It was great to see a very expressive side to the Prince. Chanting with the crowd, punching the air with his fist and displaying huge grins, were all examples of William expressing raw emotion.”
The expert added that William would have toned his emotions down if he were to attend a Royal engagement. He explained: “He didn’t hold back or hesitate with any emotion he was feeling. This reveals the confidence he has to let go in certain situations.
“To see such honesty and raw emotion from William was rare. If this was a Royal visit, William would have toned these emotions down. This shows he wanted to portray himself in a relatable, trustworthy and honest manner.
“For him to show pride and joy as well as high levels of frustration and fear only highlights William’s authenticity and the ability to be open with how he’s feeling.”
