Prince William reacted with a mix of emotions as he watched England come from behind to beat Switzerland on penalties at the European Championships tonight.

The Prince of Wales and England fans faced tense moments as Gareth Southgate’s team fell behind 1-0 in the 75th minute on Saturday evening.

William celebrated twice: first when Bukayo Saka equalized with a stunning late goal, and again when Trent Alexander-Arnold secured victory with a decisive penalty kick.

As FA President, the Prince took time in the tunnel after the celebrations to personally congratulate the players, chatting with the heroes of England’s European campaign.

England’s Euros journey will continue with a semi final against the Netherlands in Dortmund on Wednesday night, with the Dutch also turning around a 1-0 deficit to beat Turkey 2-1 on Saturday night.

It was a victory that sent thousands of England supporters watching the nail-biting clash in pubs into overdrive, with fans seen hurling their beers in the airs in boozers and at fan zones up and down the country. 

Prince William joined the likes of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, UEFA Deputy General Secretary Giorgio Marchetti and former Portugal ace Luis Figo in the stands for tonight’s quarter final.

His support began as the English contingent in the stadium rose for a rendition of God Save The King. There was a brief sour moment before kick-off when England fans loudly booed the Swiss national anthem.

With a new formation and confidence injected into the team, England made confident passes around the back and motored forward to keep Switzerland on their toes through the first 45 minutes. 

Jude Bellingham worked tirelessly across the pitch, bringing momentum to the team on the back of his triumphant last-minute goal against Slovakia last week.

England came close before the whistle for half-time, with Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka knocking the ball in front of goal but failing to find the right connection.

A stolen corner saw Switzerland run the ball to the other end of the pitch – but England’s defence broke down the attack before it could come to anything.

Fans around the grounds joined the Prince in bracing through a steady 75 minutes before Swiss striker Breel Embolo forced the teams to move through the gears with an agonising touch to beat Jordan Pickford between England’s sticks. 

The stands erupted with Swiss chants and the sound of cowbells as England fans around Europe looked on dejected. Prince William could only look on as England formulated a response.

Encouragingly, Gareth Southgate responded immediately with three changes, bringing on Luke Shaw, Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze.

Bellingham looked on shocked as the board flashed a Number 10 for him to come off – later corrected to Number 14. 

A revived England side hit back with a stunning goal from Bukayo Saka around 80″, cutting in on the left to shoot from the edge of the box and catching Yann Sommer off guard.

Prince William erupted, punching the air as the goal found the back of the net. Chants of ‘England, England, England’ echoed throughout the stadium. 

England held on long enough to take the game through to extra time as millions shuffled closer to their screens, dreading the prospect of penalties.

The additional 30 minutes were nervy as Switzerland came close to retaking the lead as Xherdan Shaqiri hit the woodwork from a corner.

England’s Prince was on the edge of his seat like every other football fan of his nation – apart from moments when he was on his feet to appeal decisions which went against the team.

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Harry Kane was subbed off after clashing into Gareth Southgate on the side of the pitch following a brazen tackle from Manuel Akanji. 

Phil Foden also made way for Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold.

As extra time withered away, it was impossible to ignore England’s record on penalties – and the heartbreak in the final of Euro 2020 – as the England players stepped up to the mark after 120 minutes. 

Italy had knocked England out on penalties at the last showdown. And Switzerland had knocked Italy out this time. 

But England’s players looked confident, composed, as they lined up to take a spot kick.

The stadium fell silent as Cole Palmer took the first shot, beating Inter Milan’s Yann Sommer and raising hopes in the England camp. 

Jordan Pickford did well to get down to Manuel Akanji’s strike, reiterating a newfound confidence in England’s ability to endure a penalty shootout.

Both England and Switzerland scored their next three goals, leaving fans looking barely able to watch as Trent Alexander-Arnold stepped up to take his penalty.

And in a moment, anxiety turned to elation as the Liverpool right-back bested Yann Sommer to send England through to the semi-finals.

The team stormed up the pitch as fans from London to Dusseldorf celebrated an historic win to take England through to the semi-finals. 

Prince William, still in the stands, could not celebrate for long as he rushed down pitchside to congratulate the England team on their success.

Long-time football fan William was previously seen at England’s fixture against Denmark last month, joined by Danish King Frederik X. 

The Prince was quick to commend England on narrowly tight victory over Slovakia last week, acknowledging the ’emotional rollercoaster’ as Jude Bellingham brought the team level in the 95th minute to take the game to extra time.

‘Emotional rollercoaster! Let’s go England!’ Quarter finals here we come!’ the Prince wrote on Twitter/X, signing off with a W.

Having struggled to break down the Slovakian defence for the first hour and a half, Bellingham’s stunning overhead kick breathed new life into a tired team late on June 30, bringing the score level on 1-1.

Harry Kane scored soon after play resumed, and England saw out the 2-1 victory to face Switzerland in the quarter-finals tonight.

Prince William, who has been vocal in his support for the Three Lions throughout the tournament, joined supporters in the stands earlier in June as the team faced down Denmark in Frankfurt.

The Prince was incredibly animated throughout the Euros clash on June 20, including when he launched out of his seat and cheered after the opener in the 18th minute. 

But by the end of the game, William – like most of the nation – had his hands on his face after a far from convincing performance saw England pegged back to a 1-1 draw thanks to a wonder strike from Danish midfielder Morten Hjulmand. 

England’s tepid display that day has been followed up by two more underwhelming matches, including a 0-0 draw in the final group game against Slovenia and a 2-1 win over Slovakia in the last 16.

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Source: Tampa Bay Times