Prince William unwittingly became the star of a selfie on Thursday morning as he hosted breakfast for the England women's football team at Kensington Palace. The team – the Lionesses – were invited to meet the royal following their success at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, where they came third overall. During the event, some of the athletes took the opportunity to take a sneaky picture of William, who was blissfully unaware that the photograph was even being taken.
The Lionesses took a sneaky photo of Prince William during the Kensington Palace breakfast
After welcoming the Lionesses to the palace, the Prince, 33, chatted enthusiastically to the squad and their head coach Mark Sampson. Aston Villa fan William "closely followed" England's games in Canada, and personally congratulated the team, who won a bronze medal in the competition – the best ever England result at a major tournament abroad."You showed the men how to do it - I really mean it," William told the Lionesses, adding: "You really gave it your all, and everybody here noticed it – social media was alive with it."…What you created as a team – it's fantastic. You're only going to get bigger and better."
Prince William proudly posing with the women's football team
William was a big supporter of the Lionesses throughout the World Cup; he wished the squad well before they left for the competition and stayed in contact throughout, issuing a statement when they beat Canada in the quarter finals – the women were eventually beaten 2-1 by Japan in the semi-finals. "Congratulations to both the English and Canadian teams for such a great game in the Women's World Cup quarter-finals," William said. "As president of the FA, I'm thrilled to see the England women progress to the semi-finals for the first time. This team is making history and I can't wait to see them in action against Japan. "I know a lot of people have been following the team's progress and I'm sure many more will not seize the chance to support this great moment for English football. The Lionesses are doing their country proud."