Princess Charlotte’s soccer support clips compared by fans: “So grown up”

Princess Charlotte has become the focus of a new viral video, as the young royal sent a message of support to England’s soccer team, the “Lionesses,” who played in the final of the Women’s World Cup in Australia on Sunday.

The only daughter of William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Charlotte is known to take a keen interest in sport and soccer, and had previously sent a support message with her father when the Lionesses won the UEFA Women’s Euro’s tournament in 2022.

On Saturday, the royal social media channels posted a video clip of William and Charlotte seated on a bench in a garden, with the princess holding a soccer ball.

“Lionesses, we want to send you a huge ‘Good Luck’ for tomorrow,” the prince said. “We’re sorry we can’t be there in person, but we’re so proud of everything you’ve achieved and the millions you’ve inspired here and around the world. So go out there and really enjoy yourselves.”

To this, Charlotte added: “Good luck, Lionesses!”

King Charles also sent a message relaying his best wishes, which was posted to social media, reading: “Good luck today, Lionesses, and may you roar to victory!”

Despite the royal support, the team did not secure the World Cup title, losing 1-0 against Spain.

Uploaded to TikTok by princesscharlottedits on August 20, footage of Charlotte’s World Cup message has been edited together with footage from a message sent to the Lionesses ahead of their Euro’s final in 2022, with fans noting how much the princess has appeared to grow up.

In the 2022 message, the princess followed a pep talk from her father with the message: “Good luck, I hope you win. Bye!”

Viewed over 250,000 times on the social media platform so far, the viral video has received more than 34,000 likes and over 100 comments, many of which have praised the young royal.

“Charlotte looks exactly like her dad in the first clip,” wrote one TikTok user.

“SHE LOOKS SO GROWN UP,” posted another, with a further comment reading: “her ‘good luck’ is still the same, she’s adorable!!”

A number of other comments highlighted the controversy surrounding Prince William and the World Cup final, which saw him face down criticism for not traveling to Australia for the game, despite being the president of the Football Association (FA).

“He’s the president of the team, he should be there,” read one such comment.

“If it was the men’s, they would be there, but it’s the women, so they think it’s not as important,” stated another.

Several commentators, including former newspaper editor and broadcaster Piers Morgan, claimed that the prince would have attended if it had been the men’s team.

William has been president of the FA for 17-years. In 2010, the royal attended a men’s World Cup match with Prince Harry to watch England play Algeria in Cape Town, South Africa.

No reason for the prince’s absence at the women’s final in Australia on Sunday has been given by Kensington Palace. A number of factors could have influenced the decision, including the fact that William is a passionate supporter of environmental causes, which would have made a round-trip to Australia for one event difficult to justify.

It is also possible that the royals are waiting for King Charles III, who is also the king of Australia, to visit the country for the first time since taking the throne before making their own visits.

William and Kate, together with their three children—Prince George, 10, Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5—have taken on increased levels of visibility over the past 12-months following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

In one of his first acts as king, Charles made William and Kate the new Prince and Princess of Wales, the most senior royal titles outside of those held by the king and his wife, Queen Camilla.

The Wales family have attended a number of high-profile events since then, with the most senior being the coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6.

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek‘s royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek‘s The Royals Facebook page.

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