The Queen praises England team's 'spirit' and 'pride' in special letter to Gareth Southgate ahead of Euros 2020 final

A close-up of the Queen smiling, who is responsible for the extra bank holiday in 2022

The Queen has praised Gareth Southgate for leading the England football team to the Euros 2020 final ahead of tonight's highly-anticipated game. 

The Queen has written a heartfelt letter to Gareth Southgate congratulating him on leading the England football team to the Euros 2020 final.

After taking advice from Prince Charles, Her Majesty penned an encouraging message to the England manager ahead of the team's clash with Italy tonight, which will determine who will win the Euros 2020 tournament.

The 95-year-old Monarch reflected on the last time the men's team reached a final back in 1966, when she presented Bobby Moore with the World Cup.

She wrote, "55 years ago I was fortunate to present the World Cup to Bobby Moore and saw what it meant to the players, management and support staff to reach and win the final of a major international football tournament.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KPvPKNJ2So

"I want to send my congratulations and that of my family to you all on reaching the final of the European Championships, and send my good wishes for tomorrow with the hope that history will record not only your success but also the spirit, commitment and pride with which you have conducted yourselves."

Although her Majesty was there in person to witness the victory back in 1966, she will not be at Wembley tonight for the 8pm kick-off.

The Queen presents the World Cup to Bobby Moore

The Queen presenting the World Cup to Bobby Moore in 1966 (Credit: Getty)

Prince William, however, has attended the last two matches at Wembley and is expected to return tonight. Prince George joined his "hero dad" for one of the games.

Despite the excitement and anticipation for the match, Gareth has vowed the players need to "stay calm" if they're in with a chance of lifting the trophy.

Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate needs to keep the players calm (Credit: Getty)

"We don’t need to be getting them overhyped. There will be enough energy and excitement around the stadium due to the occasion itself," Gareth explained.

“We need to keep that calmness that we have had for the whole month. We’ve dealt with it really well. The game against Scotland, we were disappointed with how it went, but it was a big occasion for us. Germany was another one and then the quarter- and the semi-final. The players have coped remarkably well and I’m certain they will do so again.”

Caitlin Elliott
Junior News Editor

Caitlin is a Junior News Editor for Goodto.com, covering all things royal, celeb, lifestyle, food, and family. Having set her sights on becoming a magazine journalist when she was a child, Caitlin took on work experience stints at local papers and titles such as Cosmopolitan, Now, Reveal and Take a Break while studying for her Multimedia Journalism degree and has interviews with celebs, reality stars and the Archbishop of Canterbury under her belt (of course, she couldn't resist asking him about Meghan Markle and Prince Harry).