Renditions of Three Lions and Sweet Caroline sounded out from the gardens of Clarence House ahead of England’s crucial semi-final clash against Denmark.
The Prince of Wales invited the Band of the Coldstream Guards to play instrumental versions of the rousing Euro 2020 anthems at his London residence on Tuesday in support of the men’s team’s quest to reach their first major tournament final since 1966.
The soldiers, in their pristine bright red tunics and bearskin hats, stood in the sunshine at the heir to the throne’s London base, trumpeting out the melodies on their brass instruments.
Charles was, however, absent, as he is away with the Duchess of Cornwall carrying out a week of engagements in Wales, whose squad was knocked out by Denmark in the last 16.
A royal source said of the England match: “Both Their Royal Highnesses will be closely following the outcome.”
Three Lions, with its popular “It’s coming home” lyric, was penned by comedians David Baddiel and Frank Skinner with the Lightning Seeds in 1996.
It continues to be the anthem for England fans during major tournaments and saw a resurgence in popularity during the 2018 World Cup, and echoed around Wembley during the 2-0 win against Germany.
Supporters have also been chanting Sweet Caroline – the 1969 hit by American songwriter Neil Diamond – and it was belted out in a victory chant after the Germany game.
The Band of the Coldstream Guards playing Three Lions and Sweet Caroline in the gardens of Clarence House in London ahead of England's Euro 2020 semi-final game against Denmark on Wednesday. Picture date: Tuesday July 6, 2021.
Victoria Jones
Manager Gareth Southgate paid tribute to the “incredible” fans and their singing of the song in a post-match interview.
“To hear them at the end… I mean, you can’t beat a bit of Sweet Caroline, can you? That’s a belter, really,” Southgate said.
Charles’s eldest son the Duke of Cambridge, who is president of the FA and a supporter of Aston Villa, will be at the Wembley match.
Villa fans have been singing the song since around 2019, with the players even chanting it in the changing room after they got promoted that year.
In Boston in the US, Sweet Caroline has been played at every Red Sox baseball game for nearly 25 years.
