Royal fans were pleasantly surprised this weekend after they spotted Princess Charlotte in the stands cheering on the Lionesses with dad Prince William ahead of England’s triumphant victory at the Euros this year. The second child of the Prince and Princess of Wales looked focused and animated as the match went on between England and Spain in Basel, Switzerland, on Sunday.
She was later spotted congratulating some of the players, as well as meeting Spain’s royalty, Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia, who also went to Basel to support their country’s team. It was the first time Charlotte was seen with her dad at such a major sporting event on her own, and the first time she issued a message on social media too.
The pair congratulated the Lionesses in a short statement on X, saying: “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”.
Now, royal commentators have weighed in on why Charlotte joined William this time around at such a big sporting event instead of Prince George, who, as an avid football fan himself, usually accompanies his dad to such engagements.
Hello! Magazine’s Royal Editor Emily Nash said: “It was great to see Prince William and Princess Charlotte enjoying some dad-daughter bonding time together at the Euros final.
“We’ve seen William taking George to plenty of football matches over the past couple of years, so it’s only fair that Charlotte gets her turn too. And she’s shown public support for the Lionesses in the past, so it was the perfect event to take her to.”
Although not officially confirmed, another factor in Prince George’s absence could have been a very strict royal rule regarding the line of succession.
The rule states that it is against royal protocol for two heirs to the throne to travel together.
Since William is heir to the throne and George is next in line, it could mean that the rule has already taken effect, after George turned 12 on July 22.
The Prince of Wales had to go through the same when he turned 12 in 1994.