NEED TO KNOW<\/p>\n
Prince William<\/a>‘s latest royal duty will be something to brag about when he gets home to his three children:\u00a0Prince George<\/a>,\u00a0Princess Charlotte<\/a> and\u00a0Prince Louis<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n The Prince of Wales, 43, hosted an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, June 25, where he knighted Sir Gareth Southgate for his services to English soccer. After years of playing the sport, Southgate led England’s men’s squad to the\u00a02018 World Cup\u00a0semifinals, the Euro 2020 final, the\u00a02022 World Cup\u00a0quarterfinals and the\u00a0Euro 2024 final as manager.\n<\/p>\n Prince George,\u00a011, Princess Charlotte, 10, and\u00a0Prince Louis, 7, are all known soccer fans, likely earning Prince William some cool dad points at home. Prince George joined his father<\/a> at the Euro 2024 final match last summer to cheer on England, while Princess Charlotte\u00a0and\u00a0Prince Louis\u00a0watched the game on TV<\/a> sporting personalized jerseys.\n<\/p>\n Prince Louis, Prince George and Princess Charlotte at Trooping the Colour on June 14, 2025.<\/p>\n Mark Cuthbert\/UK Press via Getty<\/p>\n Prince William previously revealed that his children play an important role in his soccer superstitions<\/a>, especially while watching his favorite team, Aston Villa. Speaking to The Sun<\/a>\u00a0in March, William said: “If I\u2019m home alone with the children, I probably don\u2019t have the pre-match pint, but I do have a bit of superstition about where I sit when I\u2019m watching them.”\n<\/p>\n “If we\u2019re not doing very well, I start moving round the house quite quickly, and I put the children in different positions hoping that\u2019s going to change our luck,\u201d he added.\n<\/p>\n The investiture ceremony was likely a big moment for Prince William, who has spent time with Southgate as president of the Football Association, a position he held for almost 20 years before shifting his role to patron last year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Southgate knelt before the Prince of Wales, who tapped him on the shoulders with a sword. William then placed a medal around the soccer star’s neck before chatting together for a few moments.\n<\/p>\n Kensington Palace shared a video celebrating the achievement, captioned, “Congratulations Sir Gareth Southgate on a well-deserved knighthood. From your Crystal Palace debut to being England Manager. Thank you for everything you\u2019ve done for football.”\n<\/p>\n “I’m a proud Englishman, a proud British man, and to join such an amazing list of people who’ve received this honor and to be recognized by your country in a way like this, is a very special moment for me \u2014 and especially for my family as well,” Southgate, 54, said.\n<\/p>\n Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage?\u00a0Sign up for our free Royals newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!<\/strong>\n<\/p>\n Prince William and Sir Gareth Southgate on June 25, 2025.<\/p>\n PA Images \/ Alamy<\/p>\n The coach stepped down from his role last summer after England were beaten by Spain in the Euro 2024 final,\u00a0and he said after being knighted that he didn’t miss the job.\n<\/p>\n