Queen Elizabeth II and her grandson the Duke of Cambridge hailed England’s historic Euro 2022 win as “an inspiration for girls and women”.
The Lionesses defeated Germany 2-1 in the final at Wembley thanks to Chloe Kelly's extra-time winner after Ella Toone’s wonderful lobbed opener had been cancelled out by Lina Magull with 11 minutes of normal time remaining.
In a message shared on the Royal Family Twitter account, the Queen said: “My warmest congratulations, and those of my family, go to you all on winning the European Women’s Football Championships.
“It is a significant achievement for the entire team, including your support staff.
“The Championships and your performance in them have rightly won praise. However, your success goes far beyond the trophy you have so deservedly earned.
“You have all set an example that will be an inspiration for girls and women today, and for future generations.
“It is my hope that you will be as proud of the impact you have had on your sport as you are of the result today.”
The Duke of Cambridge Prince William, who is president of the English Football Association and presented Sarina Wiegman’s side with their medals, also congratulated the team for their “sensational” win, tweeting: “An incredible win @lionesses and the whole nation couldn’t be prouder of you all.
“Wonderful to see history in the making tonight at Wembley, congratulations! W.”
Following the match, Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries announced that grassroots facilities would be named after the 23 England players in and around each of their home towns or places that shaped their footballing careers.
Dorries said: “Millions of women and girls have been inspired by the team’s success and honouring their achievements will mean they leave a lasting impression at grassroots facilities across England.”
Former England and Arsenal defender Alex Scott hailed the win as an “absolute dream” but was also keen to highlight how the women’s game had previously struggled for attention.
“Let’s just remember, back in 2018 we were begging people to host, in their stadiums, a women’s game for this Euros,” Scott said on BBC One.
“So many people said no. I hope you’re all looking at yourselves right now because you weren’t brave enough.
“I’m not standing up at corporate events in front of sponsors any more begging for them to get involved in the women’s game, because, you know what? If you’re not involved then you’ve missed the boat, you’ve missed the train because it’s finally left the station and it is gathering speed.”
Former England striker Gary Lineker wrote: “Football is a simple game. 22 women chase a ball for 90 minutes and, at the end, England actually win. Congratulations @lionesses. Fabulous.”
Adele and the Spice Girls were among the famous faces to praise the Lionesses’ “girl power” following their Euro 2022 victory.
Following their historic win, multi-award-winning singer Adele described the achievement as a “game changer”.
She shared a photo of the England women’s team celebrating their win on Instagram and wrote: “You did it!! It’s come home!!
“Congratulations @lionesses what a game changer!! So proud.”
The Spice Girls praised the Lionesses for their “girl power” as they posted a photo of the team celebrating their win on Twitter.
The British girl group captioned the post: “Congratulations @Lionesses True #GirlPower right there.”
