Prince William grimaced, cheered and punched the air with joy as he watched the Three Lions come from behind to claw their way to victory on penalties against Switzerland at the European Championships this evening.
The Prince of Wales, alongside England supporters at home and on the terraces, was put through the mill as Gareth Southgate‘s side appeared destined to go out with a whimper on Saturday evening, going 1-0 down in the 75th minute.
But William was jumping for joy after Bukayo Saka revived England’s hopes with a stunning late goal to equalise – and again when Trent Alexander-Arnold sent the side through with an emphatic winning spot-kick.
The Prince, who is also the President of the FA, made time to congratulate the players in the tunnel after their triumphant celebrations had concluded, stopping to chat with the heroes of England’s European campaign.
England’s Euros journey will continue with a semi final against the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday night, with the Dutch also turning around a 1-0 deficit to beat Turkey 2-1 on Saturday night.
It was a victory that sent thousands of England supporters watching the nail-biting clash in pubs into overdrive, with fans seen hurling their beers in the airs in boozers and at fan zones up and down the country.
Prince William channelled the emotions of a nation as he cheered on England’s national team to a nail-biting penalties win over Switzerland at the European Championships
The Prince of Wales, as well as England supporters, was put through the mill as Gareth Southgate’s side appeared destined to go out with a whimper on Saturday evening, after Swiss striker Breel Embolo put the opponents ahead
But he was jumping for joy after Bukayo Saka revived England’s Euros hopes with a stunning late goal
Trent Alexander-Arnold scored the winning penalty to see England through to the semi-final
Alexander-Arnold was the hero as he fired home the decisive penalty
England fans celebrate after winning the penalty shootout against Switzerland on Saturday
Saka scores after cutting in on the left to bring the score to 1-1 and deliver England into ET
Bukayo Saka of England celebrates after scoring against Switzerland to equalise
England fans across the country went wild after Gareth Southgate’s men beat Switzerland (pictured are supporters at Wembley’s Boxpark, in London)
The Prince of Wales’ emotions were on full display when he punched the air at the Dusseldorf Arena in western Germany
Donning a navy suit and blue tie, the Prince, who is also the President of the FA, cheered on Gareth Southgate ‘s men to a third tournament semi final in the manager’s tenure
Prince William congratulates Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka after England’s stunning penalty win
The Prince also met with penalty hero Trent Alexander-Arnold after the match
Prince William joined the likes of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti and former Portugal ace Luis Figo in the stands for tonight’s quarter final.
His support began as the English contingent in the stadium rose for a rendition of God Save The King. There was a brief sour moment before kick-off when England fans loudly booed the Swiss national anthem.
With a new formation and confidence injected into the team, England made confident passes around the back and motored forward to keep Switzerland on their toes through the first 45 minutes.
Jude Bellingham worked tirelessly across the pitch, bringing momentum to the team on the back of his triumphant last-minute goal against Slovakia last week.
England came close before the whistle for half-time, with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka knocking the ball in front of goal but failing to find the right connection.
A stolen corner saw Switzerland run the ball to the other end of the pitch – but England’s defence broke down the attack before it could come to anything.
England fans went into overdrive as they watched the team cruise into the semi-final of the Euros (pictured are supporters at the Boxpark in Wembley)
In Bristol. there were scenes of jubilation as England won their match in a penalty shootout
And in Wembley’s Boxpark in London, England fans went wild, cheering and throwing beers
While some England lovers in Bristol took the change to strip down and celebrate the win
Pictured are women celebrating the Three Lions victory over Switzerland in Bristol
While in Dusseldorf, Germany, England fans started dancing in the stadium to toast the win
‘It’s coming home!’ Fans in Wembley, London, could be heard singing following the win
Fans around the grounds joined the Prince in bracing through a steady 75 minutes before Swiss striker Breel Embolo forced the teams to move through the gears with an agonising touch to beat Jordan Pickford between England’s sticks.
The stands erupted with Swiss chants and the sound of cowbells as England fans around Europe looked on dejected. Prince William could only look on as England formulated a response.
Encouragingly, Gareth Southgate responded immediately with three changes, bringing on Luke Shaw, Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze.
Bellingham looked on shocked as the board flashed a Number 10 for him to come off – later corrected to Number 14.
A revived England side hit back with a stunning goal from Bukayo Saka around 80″, cutting in on the left to shoot from the edge of the box and catching Yann Sommer off guard.
Prince William erupted, punching the air as the goal found the back of the net. Chants of ‘England, England, England’ echoed throughout the stadium.
England held on long enough to take the game through to extra time as millions shuffled closer to their screens, dreading the prospect of penalties.
He was fighting for every decision as England endured a tense half-hour of extra time before spot-kicks
But in the end it was jubilation for the England contingent who turned out at the Dusseldorf Arena, as Trent Alexander-Arnold sent the side through with an emphatic winning penalty
Harry Kane (L) of England and Granit Xhaka of Switzerland in action on Saturday night
Arsenal Star Saka’s goal in the 80th minute sent the game to extra time as both sides fought for a chance to play either the Netherlands or Turkey for a place in the final
The Prince of Wales joined by senior officials for the quarter final
England’s head coach Gareth Southgate celebrates pitchside after England’s win
England players celebrate at the end of the penalty shootout as they narrowly win on penalties
England fans at Wembley’s Boxpark show their passion after England won against Switzerland
There were more wild scenes in Bristol as supporters leapt to the feet and danced
England supporters at the fans zone in Newcastle celebrate Switzerland losing on penalties
England players applaud their supporters after a dramatic win in Germany this evening
Harry Kane with his wife Katie Goodland and their daughter in the stands celebrating
The additional 30 minutes were nervy as Switzerland came close to retaking the lead as Xherdan Shaqiri hit the woodwork from a corner.
England’s Prince was on the edge of his seat like every other football fan of his nation – apart from moments when he was on his feet to appeal decisions which went against the team.
Harry Kane was subbed off after clashing into Gareth Southgate on the side of the pitch following a brazen tackle from Manuel Akanji.
Phil Foden also made way for Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.
As extra time withered away, it was impossible to ignore England’s record on penalties – and the heartbreak in the final of Euro 2020 – as the England players stepped up to the mark after 120 minutes.
Italy had knocked England out on penalties at the last showdown. And Switzerland had knocked Italy out this time.
But England’s players looked confident, composed, as they lined up to take a spot kick.
The stadium fell silent as Cole Palmer took the first shot, beating Inter Milan’s Yann Sommer and raising hopes in the England camp.
Jordan Pickford did well to get down to Manuel Akanji’s strike, reiterating a newfound confidence in England’s ability to endure a penalty shootout.
Both England and Switzerland scored their next three goals, leaving fans looking barely able to watch as Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped up to take his penalty.
And in a moment, anxiety turned to elation as the Liverpool right-back bested Yann Sommer to send England through to the semi-finals.
The team stormed up the pitch as fans from London to Dusseldorf celebrated an historic win to take England through to the semi-finals.
Prince William, still in the stands, could not celebrate for long as he rushed down pitchside to congratulate the England team on their success.
William was spotted in the crowds as the England team sang God Save the King before kick off
Prince William speaks with UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin (L) ahead of the quarter final
Prince William speaks with attendees ahead of the match up against Switzerland
The monarch was spotted in the stands, returning to lend support to the team after the Denmark fixture
He didn’t hold back as he reacted to England finally getting through via the shoot-out
In Dusseldorf, there were scenes of joy as fans watched the action unfold
Dusseldorf was a sea of red, white and blue as thousands of England fans watched the game
Long-time football fan William was previously seen at England’s fixture against Denmark last month, joined by Danish King Frederik X.
The Prince was quick to commend England on narrowly tight victory over Slovakia last week, acknowledging the ’emotional rollercoaster’ as Jude Bellingham brought the team level in the 95th minute to take the game to extra time.
‘Emotional rollercoaster! Let’s go England!’ Quarter finals here we come!’ the Prince wrote on Twitter/X, signing off with a W.
Having struggled to break down the Slovakian defence for the first hour and a half, Bellingham’s stunning overhead kick breathed new life into a tired team late on June 30, bringing the score level on 1-1.
Harry Kane scored soon after play resumed, and England saw out the 2-1 victory to face Switzerland in the quarter-finals tonight.
Prince William, who has been vocal in his support for the Three Lions throughout the tournament, joined supporters in the stands earlier in June as the team faced down Denmark in Frankfurt.
The Prince was incredibly animated throughout the Euros clash on June 20, including when he launched out of his seat and cheered after the opener in the 18th minute.
But by the end of the game, William – like most of the nation – had his hands on his face after a far from convincing performance saw England pegged back to a 1-1 draw thanks to a wonder strike from Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand.
England’s tepid display that day has been followed up by two more underwhelming matches, including a 0-0 draw in the final group game against Slovenia and a 2-1 win over Slovakia in the last 16.
A jovial mood ahead of the England fixture in Dusseldorf on Saturday night
Prince William watches on intently as England prepare to face off with Switzerland in Germany
