Two kings, one prince due to attend their national teams' games on same day at Euro 2024
Britain's Prince William prepares to present the winning owners, trainer and jockey with trophies for the Prince of Wales Stakes on the second day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England, Wednesday, June 19, 2024. Credit: AP/Kin Cheung
FRANKFURT, Germany — Two kings and a prince are set to watch the soccer aristocrats playing on the field at European Championship games on Thursday.
King Frederik X of Denmark and the first in line to the British throne, Prince William, will be together in the VVIP seats when their national teams meet in Frankfurt in the early evening game.
“It’s a big honor. I’m a big fan of the Danish royal family,” Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel said Wednesday.
Schmeichel previously met Prince William at the FA Cup final in May 2021, when the future king also presented him with the trophy as captain of the winning Leicester team against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.
King Felipe VI of Spain is due to attend the later game Thursday when his national team plays Italy in Gelsenkirchen.
UEFA confirmed the scheduled royal visits to the monthlong tournament in Germany.
Prince William is the longtime president of the English Football Association and a fan of Premier League team Aston Villa, which has two players in the England squad at Euro 2024.
Denmark's goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel applauds the fans after the end of the Group C match between Slovenia and Denmark at the Euro 2024 soccer tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, Sunday, June 16, 2024.the match ended 1-1. Credit: AP/Matthias Schrader
King Frederik, who became monarch in January on the abdication of his mother Queen Margrethe II, is a former member of the International Olympic Committee.
“Having the king support us is something we have been talking about in the team. I hope that we can win for him,” said Schmeichel, whose father Peter was goalkeeper of the Denmark team that won the European title in 1992.
When Spain won the Euro 2012 title, King Felipe was then the crown prince who was at the stadium in Kyiv, Ukraine, and visited the team celebrations in locker room.
Spain beat Italy 4-0 that day 12 years ago and the teams meet Thursday for the fifth straight edition of the tournament.