Princess Charlotte's royal first during Lionesses' win that shakes up tradition

Daily Mirror

6 days ago

When the young princess joined Prince William in Switzerland for the show-stopping UEFA Women's final on Sunday night, Princess Charlotte switched up tradition in a historic first in her congratulations message to the Lionesses
Princess Charlotte fist-pumped for joy as she watched England's Lionesses claim victory in their s econd successive European Championship title.
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And along with her dad Prince William she sent a message of congratulations to the team after their show-stopping win against Spain in Switzerland. Royal fans were delighted when the young princess joined her father last night for the nail-biting match, which all came down to a penalty shoot out.
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After the Lionesses claimed their victory, William and Charlotte issued a message to the England team on the Kensington Royal social media accounts, with eagle-eyed royal fans noticing a small but significant change in Charlotte's sign off on the message.
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The father-daughter duo wrote: "What a game! Lionesses, you are the champions of Europe and we couldn't be prouder of the whole team. Enjoy this moment England. W & Charlotte." Some fans pointed out that Charlotte's name was signed off in full, rather than the normal tradition of using just initials on social media - meaning it was her first statement with her full name.
William, for instance, signed off using just a 'W' as he usually does for social media messages that he personally wrote. However, there may be one simple explanation for the switch up in sign off.
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Charlotte's name starts with the same letter as her mother Catherine. Historically, if the Prince and Princess of Wales co-sign a message, it is signed off as 'W & C'. So in order to differentiate with her mother's sign off, Charlotte opted for her full name.
William and Charlotte, along with the thousands of other fans in the Basel stadium, went through a rollercoaster of emotions while watching the tense game between England and Spain, as they cheered on the Lionesses from the stands.
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The royal duo couldn't hide their feelings throughout the big game, as the 10-year-old princess was even seen covering her face with her hands as the intensity of the clash ripped through the stadium.
William looked similarly stressed, clasping his hands together and grimacing before England equalised in the second half. But all nerves soon melted away as England became champions once more, and Charlotte joined William on the pitch to congratulate the players.
Also applauding the Lionesses on social media was King Charles, who said: 'This brings you, your manager and all your support team my most heartfelt congratulations on winning the Euros 2025. For more years than I care to remember, England fans have sung that famous chant 'football's coming home'.
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'As you return home with the trophy you won at Wembley three years ago, it is a source of great pride that, through sporting skill and awesome teamwork, the Lionesses have made those words ring true. For this, you have my whole family's warmest appreciation and admiration.
'More than that, though, you have shown through your example over past weeks that there are no setbacks so tough that defeat cannot be transformed into victory, even as the final whistle looms. Well done, Lionesses. The next task is to bring home the World Cup in 2027 if you possibly can!"