Prince George’s first public encounter with a foreign princess — Spain’s Princess Sofía at the Euro 2024 final in Berlin — drew criticism from royal fans online over a detail in a widely shared photograph, gala.de reported.
The moment came on July 14, 2024, at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, where Spain defeated England 2–1 to win the European Championship. Prince William and his eldest son, Prince George, then 10, attended to support England, while King Felipe VI of Spain and his daughter, Princess Sofía, then 17, cheered on the Spanish team. The two families sat together in the stands and posed for a photograph that was quickly posted online and generated heavy discussion.
What the photo showed
According to gala.de, the image placed Prince George and Princess Sofía side by side, and viewers began comparing the two young royals. One detail in the picture, the outlet reported, left some royal fans annoyed and triggered a broad debate across social media. The report does not specify which detail drew the criticism, and the original video referenced by the outlet was not available for independent review.
The setting: a final shared by two royal families
The Euro 2024 final was unusual for bringing together the British and Spanish royal families in the same stand. Prince William, then 42, and Prince George supported England, while King Felipe, then 56, and Princess Sofía supported Spain. Their joint appearance in the VIP box became one of the most photographed moments of the tournament’s closing night, alongside Spain’s 2–1 victory.
What remains unconfirmed
gala.de’s account frames the episode as Prince George’s first meeting with a foreign princess, but the outlet has not published the specific criticism fans leveled at the photo, and no royal household has commented publicly on the online reaction. The exact nature of the disputed detail — and how widely the criticism spread beyond social media — is not confirmed by any primary source.
For now, the episode stands as a reminder of how quickly images of young royals at major sporting events become subjects of public debate, with the Euro 2024 final photo still circulating in discussions of the two princes.
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