Prince George cheers England’s Euro 2020 finals goal; Prince William calls loss ‘heartbreaking’

Prince William and Kate Middleton brought a special guest, and good luck charm, to Wembley Stadium to watch England take on Italy in the Euro 2020 finals match Sunday. 

Prince George cheered on England with his parents, nattily dressed in a striped red and blue tie with a sharp blazer. The couple’s oldest son, 7, looked much like his similarly attired father, the President of the Football Association. Kate honored her country’s colors by sporting a white blazer.

© Thomson Reuters Soccer Football – Euro 2020 – Final – Italy v England – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – July 11, 2021 Britain’s Prince William, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George, Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson with his wife Carrie Johnson in the stands before the match Pool via REUTERS/Frank Augstein

George expressed an ebullient reaction to England’s early goal during the match, laughing wildly while looking at his father and clapping. He then went in for an excited hug with his mother during his celebration.

George’s full-on cheer became an instant meme on British social media.

Before the game, William shared a video message on Instagram wishing the entire team “the very best of luck.”

“To every member of the England team on and off the pitch, just want to wish you the very best of luck for tonight. What a team performance it’s been,” he said. “Every member of the squad has played their part, all the background team as well have been truly essential. I can’t really believe this is happening.”

“You bring out the very best of England,” he concluded. “The whole country is behind you. So bring it home.”

“You bring out the very best of England and we’re all behind you. The whole country is behind you. So bring it home,” he added. 

Also in attendance at the game were the impressively suited David Beckham and Tom Cruise, who celebrated the early England goal with a fist bump.

© CARL RECINE, POOL/AFP via Getty Images Tom Cruise (C-L) and English footballer David Beckham (C-R) are seen during the UEFA EURO 2020 final football match between Italy and England at the Wembley Stadium in London.

The celebration was short-lived. After Luke Shaw’s early goal for England, Italy tied the score before the end of regulation time. Italy went on to win in a penalty shoot-out that broke England’s heart.

The televised view of the despondent royal family, summed up the national heartbreak.

William pulled it together and tweeted a classy congratulations to Italy from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s official Twitter account.

“Heartbreaking,” William wrote, before addressing the English team. “You’ve all come so far, but sadly this time it wasn’t our day. You can all hold your heads high, and be so proud of yourselves — I know there’s more to come. W. “

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Prince George cheers England’s Euro 2020 finals goal; Prince William calls loss ‘heartbreaking’