logo
Princess Charlotte sparks frenzy with behind-the-scenes photos from Lionesses' win

Princess Charlotte sparks frenzy with behind-the-scenes photos from Lionesses' win

Daily Mirror2 days ago
Princess Charlotte was on hand to cheer on the Lionesses as they roared to victory in the final of Euro 2025 - and she was captured in a series of behind-the-scenes shots with dad Prince William before the big match
Princess Charlotte went through a rollercoaster of emotions as she watched the Lionesses roar to victory in the Euro 2025 final.

The 10-year-old was pictured in the stands alongside her dad, Prince William, as they faced the agony of seeing England go 1-0 down to Spain before the ecstasy of them bringing it back level and then winning a nail-biting penalty shoot-out. But it seems it wasn't just Charlotte's facial expressions as she watched the match that sparked a frenzy - so did snaps showing her behind-the-scenes with William before the game.

Before they made their way out to the stands, the father-daughter duo were introduced to members of the Spanish Royal Family, Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia.

The sisters were also in Switzerland to cheer on their country, and pictures shared on social media by the Spanish Royal Family show the princess all meeting for the first time. Like William, Leonor is heir to the throne, while Sofia is the second daughter of King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain.
And many on X were delighted to see that young princesses all got to meet before the match, with one fan saying: "Beautiful seeing Princess Charlotte with Crown Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia."

Another wrote: "This is a great photo. Princess Charlotte has them all laughing! I hope she and Princess Leonor will develop a strong friendship." While one fan added: "Today's photo is historic. How lovely to see these young princesses together." And it seems the trio continued to hit it off in the stands, with Charlotte at one point appearing to share a joke with Leonor.
After the Lionesses claimed their victory, William and Charlotte issued a message to the England team on the Kensington Royal social media accounts.

The father-daughter duo wrote: "What a game! Lionesses, you are the champions of Europe, and we couldn't be prouder of the whole team. Enjoy this moment, England. W & Charlotte."
Also applauding the Lionesses on social media was King Charles, who said: 'This brings you, your manager and all your support team my most heartfelt congratulations on winning the Euros 2025. For more years than I care to remember, England fans have sung that famous chant 'football's coming home'.

'As you return home with the trophy you won at Wembley three years ago, it is a source of great pride that, through sporting skill and awesome teamwork, the Lionesses have made those words ring true. For this, you have my whole family's warmest appreciation and admiration.
'More than that, though, you have shown through your example over the past weeks that there are no setbacks so tough that defeat cannot be transformed into victory, even as the final whistle looms. Well done, Lionesses. The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can!"
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

The retired civil servant and royal fan who swears blind she spotted the Waleses on a £40million superyacht off the coast of an enchanting Greek island
The retired civil servant and royal fan who swears blind she spotted the Waleses on a £40million superyacht off the coast of an enchanting Greek island

Daily Mail​

time16 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

The retired civil servant and royal fan who swears blind she spotted the Waleses on a £40million superyacht off the coast of an enchanting Greek island

Normally at this time of year the people of the Ionian Islands talk of being overworked and little else. With nearly three million tourists visiting the region during July and August, they certainly have their work cut out. Not that they'd have it any other way, of course. For more than a week, though, another topic, or rather a question, has dominated conversation in bars and tavernas, particularly on beautiful Kefalonia. Has anyone seen Prince William and his family? Locals swear blind that the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children George, 12, Charlotte, ten, and seven-year-old Louis arrived on the island by private Lear jet on July 16. Also in tow, others insisted, were the future King's in-laws, Carole and Michael Middleton. All were then driven to a waiting superyacht. And from there out to azure waters and, well, who knows where? Speculation has been rife. 'Oh yes, sure, I got a picture of their boat,' a taxi driver assures me. He flourishes his smartphone and a photo of the superyacht, Norn, cruising north of the capital Argostoli. He adds: 'It's owned by a Microsoft tycoon, a billionaire tech guy. I know for sure this is the one they're on.' Maybe. But wasn't the smart money on an even bigger boat? On July 19 stories began to surface in the Greek media of how the Prince and Princess were enjoying the largesse of Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a prominent member of the UAE royal family. His £340 million 146-metre (479ft) mega-yacht, Opera, is said to be one of the most opulent private vessels in the world. It boasts every amenity imaginable and in some cases, like Noah's Ark, two of everything – including helipads. While the story was ignored by the British media, it was picked up around the world. The Delhi-based Hindustan Times, for instance, ran its account under the headline 'Prince William, Kate Middleton sailing around Greece on yacht belonging to Emirati sheikh'. Some stories specified restaurants the royals were supposed to have visited. Social media hastened the story's spread, proclaiming certain 'facts' with inflexible certainty. On Kefalonia, meanwhile, where rumours move quicker than the Opera at full tilt, locals added their own embellishments. A taverna waiter in the pretty fishing village of Agia Efimia, where the Opera dropped anchor, tells me the royals were taken to the harbour by tender boat. 'There were about 12 black people carriers waiting for them. Then they were driven to the Melissani Cave which was closed for the day just for them.' But did he see William and Kate and the kids in the flesh? 'No, but my cousin Vangelis did, I'm sure of it.' Once located, however, Vangelis admits: 'I saw their executive cars speeding through the village, but I'm sorry – I cannot truly say that I eyeballed them.' Wiser souls in the village insisted the waiter and his cousin, and many more besides, were simply mistaken. What they really saw, they said, was not the Windsors but the Emiratis – something confirmed when the Daily Mail visited the roofless limestone Melissani Cave. There, cheerful gondoliers row tourists through a stalactite-lined cavern filled with brackish water of a startling ultramarine. One of the gondoliers says: 'It's fake news. The Arab royals and their children came and we closed the cave off for half an hour so they could have a private tour. 'But there was definitely no William and Kate.' It was a similar story at the restaurants on the island where the Prince and Princess and their children were supposed to have 'sampled delightful local delicacies'. Two expressed bemusement but promised a warm welcome should the royals drop by. A third said it was visited by an Opera crew member. 'Nobody from your royal family though,' said the manager. The Ionian Islands are steeped in rich mythology. Was the story of William and Kate's holiday proving just that – a myth? Besides, Lear jets and mega-yachts aren't a particularly good look for a prince who wears his green credentials proudly. William's Earthshot Prize gives £1 million every year to five projects tackling climate challenges. And wasn't it only a couple of months ago that he was hailing Sir David Attenborough on the eve of his new documentary, Ocean? In it, Sir David intones: 'I now understand that if we save the sea we save our world.' And it goes without saying that the great naturalist is decidedly sniffy about fuel-guzzling superyachts, which are said to cause even more damage to the environment than private jets. Maybe William and co had opted for a caravan holiday on the Isle of Wight instead. Sources were still insisting, though, that the royals had 'definitely' landed at Kefalonia's main airport. Then word reached the Daily Mail of a woman – a retired senior civil servant in the Greek defence ministry – who was said to have seen them first hand. The only known person, in fact, to have laid eyes on them. We traced her to her home overlooking enchanting Mavrouna Bay, close to the postcard-pretty village of Kioni on the tiny neighbouring island of Ithaca, which with emerald shores, wooded hills and secluded beaches is even more beautiful than Kefalonia. Aged 64, Penelope Likoudi was born and raised on the island, where she now owns a number of luxury apartments. A friend says: 'She is a respected lady, someone of high standing here.' She's a huge admirer of the royals too, has visited Buckingham Palace and Balmoral, 'devours' everything written about them and 'cried for days' when Princess Diana died. Over lemonade and cake at a cafe overlooking secluded Mavrouna Bay, she takes up the story of her royal encounter. Every day, she says, she swims in the bay, 'where I do exercises in the water for my back'. Last Tuesday was no different but this time there was a yacht moored about 100 metres or so from the shore and vaguely mindful of the stories of William and Kate, she decided to check it out. 'It was a possibility as a lot of celebrities come to this very spot. I think it was sometime after 11.30 in the morning,' she recalled. 'I swam out beyond the warning buoy and was about 30 metres (100ft) from the yacht when I saw them. Kate was standing on the top level with Charlotte and Louis. She was wearing a dark wraparound dress. 'There was an older lady next to them, possibly Kate's mother, but I wasn't able to see her well. 'I literally shivered with excitement. I was shocked, I couldn't believe it. 'Now I wish I'd called out hello to them. But I didn't, I got star-struck and couldn't get the words out. There was no sign of William or George though.' Did they see her? 'I think they must have done. I was the only one swimming that far out. You know, there was only a handful of locals on the beach.' 'They were looking at the wonderful bays, all green with trees coming all the way down to the sea. And I thought that maybe they would take out a boat so I waited for a bit,' she said. 'There was some sort of movement in the lower deck – the crew were untying something. 'But I couldn't stay long. I have only limited time because my mother is 94 and bedridden and I needed to get back to her. First though, when I got to dry land, I went to the top point of the cape and took some pictures of the boat with my phone.' It transpires that the Prince and Princess were in fact on the 50 metre (164ft) Almax, one of the world's first fuel-cell superyachts which is estimated to be worth £40million. Built by Italian firm San Lorenzo, it is described as a 'huge milestone in the future of sustainable boating'. That at least should deflect any criticism heading the Prince's way. Sure enough, Penelope's sighting tallies with maritime records which show that the Almax left Kioni the following day. It returned to Argostoli on Friday. There remains one mystery. Witnesses saw a different party exit the boat the next morning. So had the royals got off elsewhere? Intriguingly, on the morning Almax left Mavrouna there were said to be several other superyachts in the bay, including the Norn, the boat mentioned by the taxi driver when I first arrived in Kefalonia. 'The bay is like a catwalk for these yachts,' said a gift shop owner, adding that basketball legend Michael Jordan's yacht was 'also here on the same day'. Before Almax sped north a man arrived on Norn – which is owned by Microsoft mogul Charles Simonyi – by helicopter. Some locals speculated fancifully that it might be William. Unlikely, says Penelope. 'But either way, it's a shame I didn't get to see him.' Others in Kioni spoke of a visit William and Harry made to the village with their mother in 1995. 'Perhaps he was making a nostalgic return, a trip down memory lane,' says one woman. 'The English royals love it here. Charles and Diana stopped off on their honeymoon. And Charles and Camilla came ashore at Mavrouna in 2012. 'Now William has returned like Odysseus.' The Greek hero's delayed return to Ithaca is the plot of Homer's epic poem Odyssey. As Penelope heads for home, she speaks of the 'magic of Mavrouna and its special energy'. She adds: 'Kate has been unwell and I hope their holiday helped them. I hope they come back again. But I have no wish to see Harry and Meghan as I just can't stand them. 'For now I will treasure this special memory. I just wish I'd said hello. Maybe we could have had a chat.' William and Charlotte subsequently flew to Switzerland on Sunday to cheer on the Lionesses as they won the Euros final. It is understood that the family are now back in Britain.

Lionesses captain Leah Williamson sends emotional nine-word statement to fans as she laps up Euro 2025 victory parade
Lionesses captain Leah Williamson sends emotional nine-word statement to fans as she laps up Euro 2025 victory parade

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Lionesses captain Leah Williamson sends emotional nine-word statement to fans as she laps up Euro 2025 victory parade

After an emotional, erratic 10 minutes for Lionesses captain Leah Williamson, which saw her bawling her eyes out down the Mall, she uttered the words every English football fan wanted to hear: 'Stay with us — this story is not done yet.' England celebrated their second European crown in style on Tuesday afternoon with an open-top bus parade that delivered them to the gates of Buckingham Palace, drawing a 65,000-strong crowd. It was a marked upgrade on the Trafalgar Square celebrations following their 2022 triumph, which was hastily assembled and capped at 7,000. This time, the event was planned in advance and emphatically dispelled defender Esme Morgan's concerns that there would not be enough people to fill the space. A choked-up Williamson told the crowd: 'I'm in the trenches, I am holding back tears. I have been crying all the way down the Mall, this is unbelievable.' Then the 28-year-old Arsenal defender added, with a nod to the upcoming World Cup in Brazil in 2027: 'Stay with us — this story is not done yet.' Lucy Bronze, who defied logic by playing the tournament with a fractured tibia, was asked by former England international Alex Scott whether she planned to hang up her boots. The defender replied simply: 'Not yet!'

Two days of solid partying and no sleep... but the Lionesses are still at peak bounce! JANE FRYER on England's Euro winners
Two days of solid partying and no sleep... but the Lionesses are still at peak bounce! JANE FRYER on England's Euro winners

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

Two days of solid partying and no sleep... but the Lionesses are still at peak bounce! JANE FRYER on England's Euro winners

The decibel levels were pretty high already on The Mall – horns blowing, fans shouting and helicopters thumping overhead. But when the open-top bus finally crawls along behind the bobbing white hats and sliding trombones of the Band of His Majesty's Royal Marines Portsmouth, the 65,000-strong crowd goes completely bananas. Screaming girls draped in England flags are hoisted on to shoulders. Women in full football kit clutch each other and yell. Middle-aged men jump up and down. Flags and mobile phones fill the sky, and everyone lurches forward for a glimpse of our returning champions. Who, somehow, after a gruelling tournament with an awful lot of extra time, two days of solid partying (with a short break for a Downing Street reception) a couple of 4am finishes and almost no sleep, are still at peak bounce. Jumping and dancing and punching the air. There's Chloe Kelly skipping and singing. Michelle Agyemang at the back. Captain Leah Williamson weeping. Coach Sarina Wiegman waving like a mad woman from the middle of the bus as someone shouts 'Sarina for Prime Minister!' And, of course, the great 140-cap veteran, Lucy Bronze. 'Oh my God, she's a bloody legend. She's insane,' says Sam Bottomley from Herne Bay, who is next to me in the crowd with her twin daughters Mia and Paige. 'All these male footballers rolling around on the floor with a bent back finger and she's played the whole tournament with a broken tibia. That's Proper England – resilience and teamwork – and what better influence for young girls?' And boys, Sam! All of us, for that matter. Which, presumably, is why so many people came today. Some, from hundreds of miles away, arriving in the wee small hours to grab a front row seat. And every hour since, thousands and thousands more, in a great wave of flags, football strips and excitement sweeping across London's Royal parks. Mums and daughters, like Amelia and Kara, from Stevenage. 'As soon as they won, I got my daughter to ring my boss and ask for the day off!' says Amelia. 'We had to be here.' Grannies – 'we've never really had a women's sports team to support before' says Helen, 68, from Winslow. Toddlers with smeary face paint. A dog called Winifred who's watched every match at home in Brighton and, today, is dressed top to paw in football finery. Silas, from Camden, who has an Abyssinian cat called Kanga snuggled around his neck wrapped in an England flag. There is great excitement when Princess Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi are spotted in the front of the crowds with their new daughter Athena and Edoardo's son Wolfie – though I somehow doubt they were putting up camping chairs at dawn. Oh yes, and a chap called Tom from Cirencester, here in a sports jacket with his three young sons and nine-week-old baby girl – 'I wanted her to witness a piece of history.' Not just because the Lionesses have won again. And on penalties. But how they did it. How they help each other. Share the glory. The lack of fuss. Which, according to Graham, a heavily tattooed Millwall fan from Bexley with the biggest flag here, is what it's all about. 'I used to follow the men's, but it's a bit boring now. 'The women are more exciting because there's no theatrics, they just get on with it.' In fact, as we waited and waited for the parade, I don't think I've ever been in such a friendly, warm, lovely crowd. Some just want to say thank you. Others to pay homage. All seem happy with even the slightest glimpse of our new champions. Which is presumably why no one makes a fuss when the Lionesses finally reach the big stage in front of Buckingham Palace, and it turns out that the sound quality is disappointingly poor. So rubbish that most of us can't hear when Hannah Hampton tells the crowds never to give up on a dream if it makes you happy. Or when 19-year-old student Michelle tells her team how much she loves them all. But we can see the great Lucy Bronze looking daunting with a red and white Euro Champions scarf tied round her head and full skiing sunglasses. 'Oh my God!' says a lady near me on crutches. 'I've got the same leg break as her; I've been on crutches for 12 weeks and she's played an entire football tournament!' And there's coach Sarina dancing when her favourite singer, Burna Boy, comes on as a surprise and the whole of the Mall erupts into a giant disco. And, oddly, we can suddenly all hear very loud and clear when Chloe Kelly laughs off the idea of feeling any stress – 'Pressure! What pressure?' – and sends TV presenter Alex Scott into a stricture when, in all the excitement, she tells us how very proud she is to be English and that it's all 'so f***ing special'. But, again, nobody cares. Because she's right – it is. It really is. And she did apologise very nicely afterwards.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store