Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, invited the band of the Coldstream Guards regiment to play instrumental versions of “Three Lions” and “Sweet Caroline” in the garden of his London residence on Tuesday, ahead of England’s appearance in the Euro 2020 football semifinal.
The band played the England fans’ favorite anthems at Clarence House in support of the men’s team, who meet Denmark on Wednesday evening.
Charles himself was absent, as he and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are in Wales, carrying out a week of engagements.
The song “Three Lions,” with its ubiquitous “It’s coming home” lyric, is a popular anthem for England fans during major tournaments, along with Neil Diamond’s 1969 hit “Sweet Caroline.”
England reached the semifinals of the European championships for the first time in 25 years after an impressive 4-0 win against Ukraine in Rome on Saturday.
Three years ago, the team got to the World Cup semifinals but were beaten 2-1 by Croatia – despite taking the lead – and in 2019 lost 3-1 to the Netherlands in UEFA’s Nations League tournament. England last reached the final of a major international tournament in 1966.
CNN’s Max Foster and John Sinnott contributed reporting.
