William greets Three Lions’ boss Tuchel at Windsor Castle to hear future plans
The German head coach and William, who is patron of the FA, chatted for more than hour on Tuesday.
The Prince of Wales has warmly welcomed England men’s football manager Thomas Tuchel to Windsor Castle to hear about his plans for the Three Lions.
William, patron of the Football Association, received Tuchel at the Berkshire royal residence on Tuesday, alongside FA chief executive Mark Bullingham.
Kensington Palace posted an image of the prince and Tuchel shaking hands in a doorway at the castle, alongside the message: “Great to meet new @England men’s manager Thomas Tuchel today, and hear about plans for the team”, followed by a flexed bicep emoji.
Their meeting at Windsor lasted more than an hour.
“It was an opportunity for Thomas to share his views on the team since taking on the role and his hopes for the future,” a royal source said.
William, a passionate Aston Villa fan, is also understood to have brought up “the ongoing success of Aston Villa’s European campaign”.
The pair met previously at the Villa-Celtic game in January.
Tuchel and his new-look England squad are looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup qualifying fixtures against Albania on March 21 and Latvia on March 24.
England is also set to host Wales in a Wembley friendly in October, and another with Senegal in Nottingham in June.
William backed German Tuchel as the Three Lions’ new boss after his appointment as successor to Gareth Southgate was announced in October, telling him: “We’re all behind you!”
In a personal message posted by Kensington Palace’s social media, the prince wrote: “Exciting times for @England, with a generation of talented players and a new manager taking the reins.
“Thomas, wishing you the best of luck, we’re all behind you! W.”
The former Chelsea, Paris St Germain and Bayern Munich manager is the third non-Englishman to hold the post after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
William cheered on the England men’s national team at Euro 2024, witnessing the squad’s 2-1 loss to Spain in the final.
He travelled to Berlin with Prince George, and told the team on social media afterwards: “This time it just wasn’t meant to be. We’re all still so proud of you. Onwards.”
