Lionesses captain Leah Williamson has revealed how Prince William initiated their hug at the Women's Euro 2022 final, a moment already described by fans as 'iconic'.
England defeated Germany 2-1 after extra time in Sunday's Wembley showdown, helping Sarina Wiegman's side earn their first-ever major international trophy.
Just as Queen Elizabeth II presented then men's captain Bobby Moore with the World Cup trophy for the famous 1966 triumph, so too did William have the privilege of fulfilling that role this weekend.
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He was part of the line-up of officials who congratulated the victorious England players as they collected their medals. The prince shook hands with most of the squad, but gave Williamson a celebratory hug.
And England's skipper has now revealed that he also sent her a message as they shared their touching moment. He was seen to be visibly moved by the moment, before giving Williamson a round of applause as he lifted the trophy.
"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'."
And it wasn't just Williamson who enjoyed that touching moment with the future king. Fans took to Twitter to gush about it.
Labour Patriot said: "Love seeing Prince William with the players especially with Captain Leah Williamson. Genuine heartfelt support from him."
Stormy Seas tweeted: "I just love this photo of Prince William embracing lionesses player Leah Williamson after the game! The Duke of Cambridge has such a wonderful friendship with the lionesses players"
Meanwhile, Brady 7 said: "What an emotional moment & on top to hand the [trophy] to them. Iconic image"
Williamson, 25, has proven to be something of a versatile player during her football career. On the senior books at Arsenal since 2014, she started off as a midfielder before a recent step back into defence. Naturally, she is overwhelmed by how much England winning Euro 2022 could mean for sport in this country.
"The legacy of this tournament is a change in society. We’ve brought people together and got people to this game," Williamson said.
"The legacy of this team is winning and this is the start of the journey. I just can’t stop crying. We talked and we talked and we’ve finally done it. It’s the proudest moment of my life until the day I have kids I suppose.
"I’m going to lap it up. I want to relive it over and over and I’ll be reliving it for a long time. We said we wanted to make our legacy about winning and that's what we did. The legacy of the tournament was already made before that final game.
"What we've done for women and young girls who can look up and aspire to be us. I think England have hosted an incredible tournament and we've changed the game in this country - and hopefully across Europe and across the world."
The Prince also tweeted out his congratulations to the team, having congratulated on their way to the stage. He hailed their "incredible win" as he insisted that they had inspired the whole nation.
"Sensational. An incredible win and the whole nation couldn’t be prouder of you all. Wonderful to see history in the making tonight at Wembley, congratulations! What a night! Just brilliant. You’ve inspired a nation too," he wrote.
After celebrating at Wembley following the win, England held a trophy parade at Trafalgar Square on Monday. The entire squad and Wiegman were on hand to showcase their freshly won award to thousands of adoring fans.
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