King Charles urges the Lionesses to ‘roar to victory’ against Spain and bring the World

King Charles last night urged the Lionesses to ‘roar to victory’ as the England women’s football team stood on the brink of history.

An expectant nation will today cheer on manager Sarina Wiegman and her players as they strive to become the first England football team to triumph in a World Cup Final since 1966.

In a dramatic rallying cry ahead of today’s clash against Spain in Sydney, King Charles declared: ‘Good luck today Lionesses, and may you roar to victory!’ His stirring message on social media was signed Charles R.  

With the country gripped with excitement, Football Association president Prince William apologised for not travelling to Australia.

Both he and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak have come under fire for opting to stay at home, while Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter Infanta Sofia have jetted out to Sydney to cheer on the team.

King Charles last night urged the Lionesses to ‘roar to victory’ as the England women’s football team stood on the brink of history

King Charles said ‘Good luck today Lionesses, and may you roar to victory!’

Prince William has apologised for not attending the Women’s World Cup final to cheer on the Lionesses in video message with Charlotte

Appearing in a video alongside his eight-year-old daughter Charlotte, Prince William said he was sorry he could not watch today’s match ‘in person’, but wanted to send ‘huge good luck’ to the Lionesses. Clutching an apparently well-used football in her lap, an excited Princess Charlotte added: ‘Good luck, Lionesses!’

In an impassioned letter to ‘Sarina and all our Lionesses’ overnight, Mr Sunak heaped praise on the team for securing ‘a lasting legacy’ for women’s sport – and said he recognised the huge challenges some of them faced on their way to the top.

‘For many of you, the honour of putting on that England shirt was earned against the odds,’ Mr Sunak wrote. ‘It should never have been like that. At times, some of you were even stopped from playing. But you faced down outdated attitudes and fashioned your own opportunities to play.’

Mr Sunak, who will watch the match in a pub in his North Yorkshire constituency, said the Lionesses had made his daughters Krishna, 12, and Anoushka, ten, connect with the game.

‘For my daughters, and for every girl in this country, you have made football something for them; you have made them feel they belong on the pitch. So – in a way – you’ve already brought football home.’

Mr Sunak, who will watch the match in a pub in his North Yorkshire constituency, said the Lionesses had made his daughters Krishna, 12, and Anoushka, ten, connect with the game

England’s Lionesses booked their place in the World Cup final against Spain with a famous victory over Australia on Wednesday

England celebrates after Alessia Russo scores the team’s third goal in the World Cup semi-final

England Lionesses train on the pitch ahead of their final match on Sunday

The Lionesses reached the final at the 83,500-seat Stadium Australia with a resounding 3-1 victory against Australia in Wednesday’s semi-final. Up to 14 million are expected to tune into the BBC One or ITV coverage of today’s match, which kicks off at 11am.

It is thought the final will boost the UK economy by £185 million. Demand has jumped at supermarkets, with Waitrose stocking more breakfast items and English sparkling wine for the game, and Aldi expecting sales of crisps, burgers and prosecco to be significantly higher than usual.

Online fashion giant Boohoo revealed that searches for ‘Lionesses kit’ exploded by 3,981 per cent in the hours following the semi-final victory.

The King’s motivational message is a break with centuries of tradition.

When Queen Elizabeth wished the England men’s team good luck for the final of the Euro championships in 2021, she sent an official letter addressed to the team’s manager Gareth Southgate.

In a video posted online last night, Southgate told the Lionesses: ‘You are doing a brilliant job. There is of course no advice because you have done more than us already and you know what is needed to win.’

Charles III’s good-luck message to the women’s team was posted online at 9.30pm to coincide with dawn in Australia and appeared alongside a majestic picture of a lioness and the Royal crest. A Buckingham Palace source said: ‘Both Their Majesties will be following events with the greatest interest.’ Prince William and his family are expected to watch the final at Anmer Hall.

Lioness Rachel Daly celebrates after the end of the team’s semi-final match this week

Ella Toone celebrates after scoring England’s opening goal in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday

England men’s captain Harry Kane also urged the Lionesses to ‘bring home the trophy’.

‘It’s been an amazing journey so far and you should be really proud of yourselves,’ he wrote on Instagram. ‘We’re all behind you, we’re all supporting you and we know you can do it. So go and get that World Cup win and bring that trophy home.’

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also sent a letter cheering on the Lionesses and recalled the impact that seeing them in action last year had on his daughter: ‘Last summer, when I took my daughter to watch your Euros semi-final game, she was immediately absorbed. Seeing how much you have inspired her has filled me with pride.’

In their final press conference before the match, Wiegman and England captain Millie Bright urged England to play the game of their lives. ‘We have felt the support, we have felt the support here, but also from the other side of the world in the UK,’ Wiegman said. ‘That’s something that you dream of.’

The players visited Stadium Australia yesterday ahead of their crunch match. Ella Toone, who scored England’s first goal in the semi-final, said: ‘One game to go, baby.’