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prince william hugs leah

Prince William's sweet words to Lioness captain Leah Williamson revealed as they hugged at final

The royal awarded the trophy to the England team

Sharnaz Shahid
Deputy Online Editor
August 2, 2022
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The Duke of Cambridge beamed with pride as he awarded the Lionesses with trophies after seeing them win at the Euro 2022 final.

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Images of Prince William hugging various members of the England team swiftly went viral, and it has since been revealed that the royal was the one who initiated the warm embrace.

WATCH: Prince William presents the Lionesses with their trophy

England women's captain Leah Williamson, who played the 120-minute match at Wembley, told the England YouTube channel: "I think I went to shake his hand and he said, 'Leah, bring it in' and I said, 'Thank you sir'. He was like, 'I’m very proud of you all.'"

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MORE: Prince William and Princess Charlotte send good luck message to Lionesses

Leah, 25, also revealed she was thrilled to receive such a special message of congratulations from the Queen. "I'm a big fan of the royal family so it means a lot," she added.

Prince William had been vocal about supporting the Lionesses, even visiting their training ground before the Euros began, so it was no surprise that the royal - who is president of the Football Association - was in attendance at the final on Sunday.

prince william hugs leah final© Photo: Getty Images

The royal seen with England women's captain Leah Williamson

He showed his passion for the sport by releasing a video alongside his daughter, Princess Charlotte, sharing their excitement about the match.

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In the touching tribute, which was posted to both Twitter and Instagram, William and Charlotte spoke directly to the camera. The Prince said: "We both want to wish the Lionesses the best of luck for tonight. You've done amazingly well in the competition and we are rooting for you all the way."

prince william hugs lioness© Photo: Getty Images

Prince William hugged Jill Scott

Meanwhile, the Lionesses could be in line for honours. On Monday, Downing Street confirmed that Boris Johnson will support them in getting "the recognition they rightly deserve for their historic victory".

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During the post-match analysis, England footballing star Ian Wright said: "I think that when the cricket team won the World Cup they were all given MBEs. They should be thinking about that now for the women. This team deserves every accolade, everything that can be bestowed upon them."

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