It may well be true that Prince William broke royal protocol when he hugged the victorious Lionesses at the Women's EURO 2022, after they beat Germany 2-1 in the nail-biting finale.
But defender Lucy Bronze says she couldn't have been happier when the Duke of Cambridge showed his support in front of thousands of spectators, and it seems the players have struck up quite a friendship with the football fan Prince.
"I think he was more excited than some of the players!" 30-year-old Lucy laughs as we catch up during her first ever OK! shoot alongside teammates Ellen White, 33, and Kiera Walsh, 25.
Lucy also reveals that the Duke had, on more than one occasion, visited the team during their training for the tournament in order to cheer them on.
"He gets on really well with Jill Scott because he’s come to a couple of our camps and Jill is our longest serving player so they’ve built up a friendship," she explained. "Jill said he basically jumped on top of her and hugged her so tight!
"It’s nice to know he’s a big fan and supporter. He’s not just handing out the medals, he’s been to see us play plenty of times."
The ladies' win ended England’s nearly 60-year wait for a trophy by claiming a first major tournament win since 1966, and saw Prince William congratulate the players on their victory and hand over their medals, hugging each of the Lionesses as they approached him.
When asked if their incredible triumph had sunk in yet, Lucy laughs, "No! The night we won was a total blur on the pitch. I think the reality is way bigger than the dream was."
She adds, "There were so many obstacles we had to overcome previously, and in the tournament there were so many records broken we didn’t even think we were capable of doing. Things like beating Norway 8-0 and selling out every single stadium and winning against Germany.
"Everything was a fairytale from start to finish."
Lucy also reveals that she and her fellow champions are now using their platform to push for all girls to have access to football in schools: "It was something we heard Ian Wright talking about, and then Lotte Wubben-Moy sparked us writing the open letter to Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss.
"We were on the bus in Trafalgar Square and she said, 'Are we doing this?' and we all just looked at each other and said, '100%!' It’s something we feel really strongly about, as it’s something we’ve all had to overcome as young girls."
Lucy smiles, "We already feel like we’re on the right path to changing a lot of things for the better for girls, and boys too.
"I think the tournament itself felt like we’d come a long way, but now it’s about maintaining that throughout the year and throughout competitions like the Women’s Super League, the Champions League, the qualifiers and the friendlies.
"In 24 hours we sold out our game coming up against the USA at Wembley, so we’re looking to continue that excitement."
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