Prince William Celebrates As England Women End Country's 56-Year Soccer Title Drought

Prince William was beaming as he celebrated his soccer team's historic win at the Women's Euro 2022 finals over the weekend.

On Sunday, the Duke of Cambridge, who had been cheering on England's women's soccer team via social media throughout the tournament, attended the showpiece event at London's Wembley Stadium in his capacity as president of England soccer's governing body the Football Association.

The soccer team – nicknamed "the Lionesses" – beat Germany 2-1 after extra time in the final, earning them their first European soccer crown and the first international soccer title for any England team in 56 years, People reported.

The final was attended by 87,000 fans, a record attendance for the final match of a European championship in both the women's and men's games, according to the outlet.

Photos from the event published by People and Daily Mail showed Prince William smiling as he shook hands with England striker Beth Mead and giving England captain Leah Williamson a heartfelt hug after their win.

Prince William also handed over the soccer trophy to Williamson. His grandmother Queen Elizabeth II was the last royal to perform the duty when England's men's national team won the soccer World Cup at Wembley Stadium in 1966.

"Sensational. An incredible win @lionesses and the whole nation couldn’t be prouder of you all. Wonderful to see history in the making tonight at Wembley, congratulations!" Prince William wrote on Twitter to celebrate the Lionesses' major victory.

The future king also commented on the Lionesses' tweet about their victory, which read, "We have done it."

"Yes, you have, and you've inspired a nation too," Prince William wrote.

Queen Elizabeth, for her part, sent her "warmest congratulations" to the Women's Euro 2022 champions on behalf of the royal family.

"It is a significant achievement for the entire team, including your support staff," read her message, which was shared via Twitter. "The Championships and your performance in them have rightly won praise. However, your success goes far beyond the trophy you have so deservedly earned. You have all set an example that will be an inspiration for girls and women today, and for future generations. It is my hope that you will be as proud of the impact you have had on your sport as you are of the result today."

Prince William had been posting about Lionesses' progress in the tournament over the past weeks. He congratulated them after they beat Sweden and when they were playing in the semi-finals.

Kate Middleton's husband and their daughter Princess Charlotte also rooted for the team in a video he shared via Twitter before Sunday's match started.

"We both want to wish the lionesses the best of luck tonight, you've done amazingly well in the competition and we're rooting for you all the way!" Prince Willam said in the video message, before Princess Charlotte added, "Good luck! I hope you win. Bye!"