Last night saw the England women’s team land a nail-biting win against Spain in the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025 final – in part, down to a penalty scored by cool-as-a-cucumber forward, Chloe Kelly.
As is custom thanks to his role as patron of the Football Association, Prince William was on hand to congratulate the Lionesses on their big win, and joined other senior figures to shake hands, hug and high five the top players and England’s coach, Sarina Wiegman.
But many eagle-eyed viewers were also curious about the young girl on William’s left, wearing a white football-style jersey, who looked overjoyed to be meeting the players too (and no, we don’t mean Princess Charlotte! Although she was also in attendance with her father last night too).
Judging by her jersey, which reads UEFA Foundation for Children, it’s believed that the mystery girl is one of the many young people who receives support from the organisation – and evidently, she’s a huge football fan!
Eurasia Sport Images
The mystery girl who joined Prince William in congratulating the England team and coach
So far, her name and story has been kept under wraps, but Cosmopolitan UK has reached out to the Foundation to ask if there’s anything they’re able to share about the girl who has been low-key stealing the limelight, thanks to her infectious enthusiasm.
Elsewhere, the UEFA Foundation for Children is doing some pretty remarkable work, having helped to build or renovate 100 football pitches around Europe and beyond, has 128 projects ongoing and 577 total to date.
A statement on its website explains, “The UEFA Foundation for Children was established on the initiative of the former UEFA president, Michel Platini, reflecting UEFA’s desire to play a more active role in society and communities.
“For many years, UEFA had been working with numerous partners to develop projects and programmes designed to help children living in difficult circumstances in Europe and beyond.
“Keen to step up its activities and target them appropriately, UEFA decided to create an independent foundation that uses sport to support humanitarian projects promoting children’s rights in the following areas: access to sport, personal development, healthy lifestyle, disabled children, conflict victims, gender equality, environmental protection, employability, infrastructure and equipment, and strengthening relationships.”
We’ll be sure to update if the Foundation shares any more information about the girl who appeared on the pitch besides Prince William and her story.
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK’s multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She’s grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.