Prince William breaks his social media silence for the first time since Kate ... trends now
The Prince of Wales has broken his social media silence for the first time since his wife Kate announced her shock cancer diagnosis.
Prince William, 41, paid tribute to England Lioness Rachel Daly as he shared a personal message this afternoon to the official Instagram account he shares with the Princess of Wales.
England Euros 2022 winner and Aston Villa forward Daly, 32, announced her retirement from international football earlier today.
William praised the player in his Stories, writing: 'Thank you for so many unforgettable performances with @Lionesses, @racheldaly3. Plenty more goals for Villa now!' He signed off with the letter 'W', to indicate the personal nature of the post.
Keen football fan William, who supports the Birmingham-based team, became President of the FA in 2006 and regularly attends England games and FA Cup finals.
He is currently spending the Easter holidays with his wife and three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, as they adjust to Kate's diagnosis.
Prince William poses with England players including Rachel Daly (2nd L) and Millie Bright (2nd R) after receiving a gift of three England shirts, each bearing the name of one of his children, whilst visiting the England Women's football team at St. George's Park on June 15, 2022 in Burton upon Trent
Prince William , 41, shared a personal message this afternoon to the official Instagram account he shares with the Princess of Wales
Keen football fan William, who supports the Birmingham-based team, became President of the FA in 2006 and regularly attends England games and FA Cup finals. Pictured, the Prince and Princess of Wales in November 2023
The Prince, who has not been seen publicly since his wife's announcement, is not expected to pick back up his public duties until his children return to school after the holidays.
But he was unable to resist interrupting his Easter break to pay tribute to Daly, who has played for the royal's beloved Aston Villa since 2022.
In his Instagram story, William shared Daly's post in which the football player announced her retirement from the international stage.
It marks the first personal note from either the Prince or Princess of Wales since Kate shared an emotional video message announcing her shock cancer diagnosis, having spent a fortnight in the private London Clinic for abdominal surgery in January.
Daly, 32, scored 16 goals across 84 caps - which saw her play in as many as six different positions for the Lionesses - including left back and striker.
Football fan William has previously met Daly, including in 2022 at St. George's Park in Burton upon Trent, when visiting the England Women's football team.
The Aston Villa forward, who was part of the Euro 2022-winning squad and the team that reached last summer’s World Cup final, informed her England team-mates of her decision after their 2-0 victory over the Republic of Ireland on Tuesday evening.
‘I would love nothing more than to play for England forever, but the time has come for me to hang my boots up on the international stage,’ Daly said.
In a clip to Instagram, the Princess of Wales announced she has been diagnosed with cancer in an emotional video message
Rachel Daly has announced a shock retirement from international football as of Wednesday. Pictured, England after winning the Women's Euro 2022 final
England's Rachel Daly (left), Millie Bright and Leah Williamson celebrate after winning the UEFA Women's Euro 2022 final at Wembley Stadium
‘While today is an extremely difficult day for me, it is also one filled with reflection and immense gratitude.
‘It has been the greatest honour to represent my family, my team-mates and the entire country. I have a lot of incredible
