Prince William has paid a touching tribute to "true gentlemen" Sven-Goran Ericksson following his death on Monday, aged 76.
The royals interrupted their Scottish holiday to share a personal message to the former England football manager's family.
In a post on X and Instagram, signed W, William wrote: “Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Göran Eriksson. I met him several times as England manager and was always struck by his charisma and passion for the game. My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game. W.”
Sven-Goran revealed in January this year that he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, and had "best case a year" to live after the diagnosis.
In a statement to the BBC, his family said on Monday: "Sven-Goran Eriksson has passed away. After a long illness, SGE died during the morning at home surrounded by family."
The Swedish native managed England for five years and led the team to the quarter-finals of the 2002 and 2006 World Cup, as well as the 2004 Euros. From 2001 to 2006, Sven-Goran coached the "golden generation" of footballers, including the likes of David Beckham, Wayne Rooney Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard. It was during the 2006 World Cup that Prince William was pictured meeting Sven-Goran, along with the England football squad.
© GettyLast year, he stepped down from his role as the sporting director at Swedish club Karlstad due to health issues. Opening up about his condition on the Swedish radio station, P1, he said: "Everyone can see that I have a disease that's not good, and everyone supposes that it’s cancer, and it is. But I have to fight it as long as possible.
"I know that in the best case it's about a year, in the worst case even less. Or in the best case I suppose even longer. I don't think the doctors I have can be totally sure; they can’t put a day on it."
Poignantly, a new Amazon Prime documentary aired earlier this month on the former football coach. Simply called Sven, the film celebrates his incredible career, with appearances from his friends and family. The short also explores his terminal cancer diagnosis, and the affect its had on his loved ones.
At the end of the documentary, Sven shares a message with fans. "I hope you will remember me as a positive guy trying to do everything he could do," he said.
The Pancreatic Cancer Action charity also shared a post: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of former England manager and football figure Sven-Göran Eriksson, who bravely shared his diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time. Rest in peace, Sven."
