With the Prince and Princess of Wales as parents, it is no wonder that Princess Charlotte was destined to be a football fan and player herself. This year, the ten-year-old accompanied her father to cheer the Lionesses on to victory in the Euros. Speaking to the team in 2022, William revealed: "Charlotte wants me to tell you she's really good in goal... a budding star for the future!"
In an exclusive interview with HELLO!, Lioness Lucy Bronze shared the special gift passed on by the Lionesses that might have contributed to Charlotte's enjoyment of the sport.
"I remember when Charlotte was born, we had a little England Lionesses kit made for her, and we gave it to Prince William when he came to St George's Park to meet us.
"It's been nice to watch her grow up as well, and knowing that we've tried to impact like little girls like Charlotte in England and empower them to do whatever they want when they're older."
© Getty ImagesPrince William, as well as being a passionate fan of football himself, is also involved in his capacity as patron of England's Football Association, and Lucy described him as "fantastic" in his ongoing support.
"He's been to almost every pre-camp, and he always comes and says good luck to us in person." She added that they now have a "personal connection" and "it's always nice to have a little chat" when he comes to wish the team luck and support them at games.
© Getty ImagesLucy's Euros win
It's not only Princess Charlotte who will have been inspired this year, as 2025 has undoubtedly been the year of women's sport for England, with the Roses cinching gold in the Rugby World Cup and the Lioness's Euros win, which Lucy described as "amazing", adding: "I think my brother might have passed out at one point because it was so stressful for our families!"
Her star continues to rise: Lucy has set her sights on representing her country at the World Cup in 2027, although at 33 years old she was the oldest England player on the pitch. But this doesn't seem to faze her. "Everybody who knows me knows that I would do anything to play for the Lionesses, especially when it's a tournament and there's a chance of the team winning. If I need to be there and make a difference, I'm always going to be ready and just put my body on the line."
And you can't question Lucy's dedication to the sport: she played in the final with a fractured tibia, surviving on pure grit "and a lot of painkillers", and now remains focused on recovery.
© Getty ImagesInside her wellness routine and commitment
As you might expect with such a physically demanding job, wellness is paramount to the Chelsea star: "Being an athlete, it's 24/7, your body is your tool that you use, and if it's not right, you're not going be able to perform properly and do what expected of you."
One such example of her commitment to wellness is her new partnership with Suri, a sustainable dental care brand that specialises in toothbrushes with heads made from plant-based corn starch and bristles are made from castor oil.
"Your dental health is actually quite important, we all had to see the dentist for pre-season, make sure we're eating the right foods, getting the right sleep. There's so many like elements that are part of a healthy lifestyle."
The sustainable element of the toothbrush was a big draw for Lucy, who shares Prince William's eco-friendly approach: "If there's always an option for sustainability, recycling, I would rather take that option if it's possible. I'm always looking for sustainable products that I use in my everyday life, obviously, brushing your teeth, something that everybody does."
© Getty ImagesTo calm her racing mind at night, Lucy also swears by keeping a red light in her room. "It's my way of switching my mind and my body off, because I'm always 100 miles an hour. It's something that I struggle with. It's not getting myself motivated, it's how do I calm myself back down to be able to get that rest?"
Using red light in the evening increases melatonin production and melanopsin cells, which regulate sleeping and waking, are less sensitive to red light compared to the blue light found in phones.
Lucy's ADHD and autism diagnoses
Part of wellness for Lucy is understanding how her neurodiversity impacts her life. The Chelsea player was diagnosed with ADHD and autism in 2021, and decided to speak about it in order to be a role model to others.
"I always said my autism was one of the reasons for me being so successful as a footballer, that hyper focus that I've got, I just channelled it into sport. I just felt more focused than anybody else, and I could never, ever explain it until I had my diagnosis done properly," she told HELLO!.
© UEFA via Getty Images"I would just like to put positive spin on it, because it always seems to be the negatives, just because people are a little bit different, and sometimes we don't like things that are different. But I want to celebrate the positives and show people like it's a great for me. It's a great way to be."
What's next for Lucy
While her focus remains on the next big competition, Lucy makes it clear that there's still "a long way to go" for women's football and that she's proud to be a part of raising awareness and inspiring the next generation of female footballers.
© Getty Images"I think one of the proudest things for me is coming back from the Euros and seeing all these little girls with the Lionesses shirts on, but seeing boys as well, and they've got Alessia Russo's name on the back of the show, or Kiera Walsh or Georgia Stanway, and they want, they want to have a women's player, not just a men's player.
"It's nice to have the younger generation grow up and see that. Women can be successful and strong and powerful in anything they want to do, even if it's football, which has been predominantly male-dominated for decades."
