It's a night that will go down in football history for England fans, so much so that Prince William even posted a rare Twitter message following the nation's win against Colombia during the World Cup. Using the official Kensington Palace Twitter account, the 36-year-old royal revealed his pride as he wished England the best of luck for the next round. He wrote: "I couldn’t be prouder of @england - a victory in a penalty shootout! You have well and truly earned your place in the final eight of the #worldcup and you should know the whole country is right behind you for Saturday! Come on England! W."
Prince William has congratulated the England football team on their World Cup success
The surprising tweet, which has been liked nearly 34,000 times, has since garnered hundreds of responses from fans, with one joking: "Sort us a bank holiday out for Monday 16th." Another teased: "If we get to the semis maybe Prince George P Charlotte and P Louis should wear England kits at the christening - just a thought?" A third post read: "Lovely message of support and encouragement from William." A fourth follower added: "I'm just as excited that Prince William tweeted! Awesome!!"
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The royal is an avid football fan
Following their success in their latest game, England will now play Sweden in the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday. William, who is the president of the English Football Association, is an avid football fan - with Aston Villa being his favourite team. He has even passed on his love of the sport to his children, Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, three. Despite William's home, Kensington Palace, being based near Chelsea and Fulham, the Prince decided years ago that he would support the Birmingham-located club. In an interview with Gary Lineker in 2015, he previously revealed: "A long time ago at school I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn't want to follow the run of the mill teams."
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He continued: "I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments. Aston Villa's always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000. Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea. It was fantastic, I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was sat with all the Brummie fans and had a great time. It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with."