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Belgium

The prince who just became the king of royal football fans

The Euros are brining in plenty of royal fans but one prince is clearly enjoying the passion and the pain of the beautiful game more than most.

Belgium’s Prince Gabriel, was unable to contain himself as his country’s national team claimed a commanding win in the first round of the tournament, being played in Germany.

The King of the Belgians is pulled into a celebration by his elder son (Belgian Royal Palace/ Instagram still/ fair use)

The prince, second in line to the throne, grabbed his dad, King Philippe, to celebrate at one point during the match before pulling his younger brother, Prince Emmanuel, and younger sister, Princess Eleonore, into a huge bear hug, completed with a triumphant roar at the camera filming him.

Emmanuel was also elated at the result, which saw Belgium win 2-0. He punched the air and then held his head as the victory and the points that come with it headed Belgium’s way.

Prince Emmanuel is overjoyed at his team’s success
(Belgian Royal Palace/ Instagram still/ fair use)

The showing has made the Red Devils favourites, once more, to go all the way in the Euros.

Later, King Philippe and his children headed into the dressing rooms to chat to the victorious squad and offer their congratulations.

They aren’t the first royals to enjoy the football this tournament. King Frederik and Prince William were at the Denmark-England game earlier this week while King Felipe was on hand to congratulate Spain as they began their campaign.

However, none of them have come close to matching Gabriel’s enthusiasm for the game. If Belgium do head to the final, there’s little doubt that one prince will be there to cheer them all the way.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.