Prince Charles asks royal band to play Three Lions ahead of England v Denmark

7 July 2021, 13:37 | Updated: 7 July 2021, 13:42

The Prince of Wales also requested the band play a rendition of Sweet Caroline.

England is set to face Denmark this evening at Wembley Stadium, as both teams battle for a place in the Euro 2020 final.

Should England win tonight and go through to Sunday's match against Italy, it would mark the Three Lions' first major final in 55 years.

Naturally, then, there has been a lot of excitement and buzz around this year's competition - not least among the royal family!

This morning, Prince Charles invited the Band of the Coldstream Guards to Clarence House, where he and the Duchess of Cornwall live, to play both ‘Three Lions’ and a brass rendition of ‘Sweet Caroline’.

Band of the Coldstream Guards play Three Lions outside Clarence House to wish England luck

‘Three Lions’ was first released back in 1996 by the Lightning Seeds and comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner, and has since become a popular football anthem among England fans. It has even re-entered the UK singles charts and is currently positioned at number 22.

READ MORE: The 6 best Three Lions performances so far

‘Sweet Caroline’, meanwhile, was popularised by singer Neil Diamond in 1969, and has since been adopted by football fans during the 2020 Euro tournament after Wembley DJ Tony Parry played the tune following England's win against Germany on June 27.

Speaking to TalkSport about his decision to play the song, Parry commented: “I was going to play Vindaloo, but went with my gut.

“Even the German fans were belting it out in the end. It’s a song that all fans can enjoy.

“The match director said in my in-ear: ‘The world’s been closed for 18 months… let ’em have it’.”

The soldiers performed instrumental versions of both tunes on the royal grounds. Prince Charles and Camilla, however, were both absent due to other engagements in Wales.

A royal source said: “Both Their Royal Highnesses will be closely following the outcome.”

READ MORE: What are the lyrics to England and Britain’s national anthem, God Save the Queen? And who wrote it?

It comes after Prince William, Kate Middleton and Prince George were pictured in the stands at the Germany match on June 29.

Both princes will be attendance at tonight's game, while the Duchess of Cambridge remains in isolation after exposure to Covid last week.

Prince William tweeted his support for the England team ahead of tonight's game, writing after their match with Ukraine on Sunday: "Another top team performance and clean sheet from England tonight. #ThreeLions. Well played to Ukraine. Can’t wait for Wednesdays semi final! Onwards. W".

You can watch England v Denmark tonight - kick-off is at 8pm.