William urges England football team to ‘show the world what you’re made of’

The Prince of Wales has urged England men’s football team to “go out there and show the world what you’re made of” ahead of the Euro 2024 final.

William, who is president of the Football Association (FA), will attend the Three Lions’ match against Spain in Berlin on Sunday.

In a social media post on Saturday, he said: “We are so proud of you all England, just one last push to finish the job!

“Go out there and show the world what you’re made of. We believe. W.”

The prince attended England’s quarter-final victory over Switzerland a week ago and the group stage game against Denmark, and was seen cheering in the stands.

On Wednesday, he congratulated England after their semi-final win over the Netherlands, praising Ollie Watkins’ late winner.

William, an Aston Villa fan, wrote: “What a beauty, Ollie! Congratulations England! #EURO2024 Finalists. W.”

England’s Ollie Watkins scored a memorable winner as England beat the Netherlands in the semi-final (Bradley Collyer/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Bradley Collyer

His father, the King, also commended the team – but quipped that they should avoid more last-minute drama.

In a message to Gareth Southgate’s side following the Three Lions’ 2-1 win against the Netherlands, Charles sent the players the royal family’s “very best wishes” and “warmest congratulations”.

He added: “If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation’s collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated!

“Good luck, England.”

Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales will attend the Wimbledon men’s final on Sunday and present the trophy, Kensington Palace confirmed.

Southgate has said: “I want to win so much on Sunday it hurts,” while Sir Keir Starmer suggested there would be some form of celebration if England wins its first major men’s football tournament since 1966.

The Prime Minister, who is attending the match, has refused to commit to an extra bank holiday if the team secures victory, saying he did not want to “jinx anything” by pre-empting the result.

Pubs and bars will be allowed to stay open until 1am over Sunday night.

England fans are preparing for the final in Berlin (Nick Potts/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Nick Potts

British Beer And Pub Association chief executive Emma McClarkin said: “On what promises to be a hugely exciting day for the country we expect an incredible 10 million extra pints to be poured in our pubs this Sunday to toast England’s Euros final.

“A huge £48 million in additional trade for pubs and breweries will be generated by fans across the nation.

“As with the semi-finals, pubs will be licensed to stay open until 1am on Sunday night, giving fans even more time to enjoy the game, support our pubs and hopefully celebrate football finally coming home.

“Fans have shown us resoundingly this tournament that there is no better place to watch our teams and soak up the atmosphere than the great British pub.”

Trade body UK Hospitality said England’s performance in the tournament would see the entire sector benefitting from an overall sales increase of £800 million.

Much of England will see sunny spells before and during the match, with highs of 24C in southern and central areas of the country.

Supermarket chain Lidl said it anticipates that beer sales will increase by more than 35% due to the combination of sun and football, while Tesco expects to have sold four million packs of beer and cider over three days.

Aldi anticipates selling 37 beers every second in the lead-up to kick-off, saying it expects 3 million packs of crisps to fly off its shelves and pizza sales to jump 50%.

Meanwhile, airlines British Airways and Iberia announced that they will livestream the match to passengers during flights.