Prince William Cracks Joke in Congratulatory Note for Retiring English Soccer Star Jill Scott
James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Prince William is cheering for a national athlete's next chapter.
The 40-year-old royal shared a personal message on the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's joint Instagram Story Tuesday, shouting out Jill Scott MBE of the England women's soccer team after she announced her retirement.
"A pioneer of Women's football and a great team player @JillScottJS8," William wrote, linking to The Player's Tribune post where Scott made the announcement. Scott, 35, recently helped lead the Lionesses to victory in the Women's Euro 2020 final, ending a legendary 16-year career at the national level on a high note.
"Congratulations on a wonderful career, it's been a pleasure to get to know you," William continued. "Tiny bit pleased there won't be any more slide tackles during 'friendly' kickabouts," he joked, signing off "W."
The future king seemed to reference a running joke from 2012, when Scott accidentally knocked the prince to the ground during a charity soccer game.
Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Instagram
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"It does stem back to about 10 years ago when we did a charity event and I slipped and slide-tackled him and actually wiped him out," she revealed on her BBC podcast Jill Scott's Coffee Club in April.
"The running joke whenever he's seen us was like, 'No yellow cards this tournament, Jill!' " she added.
Watching William at 30! When he's king I'll treasure this pic! #footywiththeking :) pic.twitter.com/XkTMSD41
— Jill Scott MBE (@JillScottJS8) June 7, 2012
In late July, William attended the Women's Euro Final at London's Wembley Stadium in his capacity as president of the Football Association, England soccer's governing body.
There, the Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 after extra time in the final, cheered on by a crowd of 87,000 fans, a record attendance for the final match of a European Championship in both the women's and men's games.
FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty England's players celebrate with the trophy after their win in the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 final
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After the match, the prince had the honor of presenting England captain Leah Williamson with the trophy, and congratulated players on the field – even giving Scott a hug.
Before the big game, Prince William and daughter Princess Charlotte, 7, got into the mood for the game by rooting for their team on Twitter.
Good luck tonight @Lionesses, we’re all cheering for you! pic.twitter.com/ATsLg6QHIF
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) July 31, 2022
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"We both want to wish the lionesses the best of luck tonight, you've done amazingly well in the competition and we're rooting for you all the way!," William said in a video message, as Charlotte added "Good luck! I hope you win. Bye!'
The caption on the post read "Good luck tonight @Lionesses, we're all cheering for you!"
William can often be found in the soccer stands, most notably alongside Prince George, 9, and Kate Middleton, 40, at the men's Euro 2020 games last summer.
Charlotte is also a "budding star" in soccer, her dad recently revealed, and has previously joined her family at matches featuring Aston Villa, William's favorite team.
