The Prince of Wales will not travel to Australia to watch the Lionesses’ compete in their historic World Cup final.
William celebrated England’s “phenomenal performance” as he tweeted a personal message of congratulations after the 3-1 semi-final victory over Australia.
It is the first time the Lionesses have reached the final of a World Cup, and the first time an England football team has competed in a World Cup final since the men’s side beat West Germany in 1966.
Heir to the throne William, who is president of the Football Association (FA), will not be in Australia to witness the clash against Spain on Sunday, Kensington Palace confirmed.
Instead, he will watch the match on television as he cheers the Lionesses on.
In October, he was not planning to attend the men’s World Cup, staged by controversial hosts Qatar, due to a busy winter schedule.
But it was understood his office might have looked at making arrangements if Gareth Southgate’s team had reached the final.
In the end, the team lost 2-1 to France in the quarter-finals.
Queen Elizabeth II attended the 1966 World Cup final at Wembley and presented captain Bobby Moore with the trophy.
William, who is on his summer break, wrote: “What a phenomenal performance from the @Lionesses – on to the final!
“Commiserations to @TheMatildas, you’ve played brilliantly and been fantastic co-hosts of this World Cup. W”
As a future monarch, William will one day become king of Australia as well as the UK, unless Australia becomes a republic in the meantime.
The King, who is on his annual holiday in Scotland, is currently Australia’s head of state.
At the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday morning, the Band of the Welsh Guards, led by female conductor Major Lauren Petritz-Watts, showed its support for both teams by playing Sweet Caroline for the England squad and Waltzing Matilda for Australia.
William saw the Lionesses win the European Championship last year, presenting Sarina Wiegman’s side with their medals at Wembley.
