KTAF NEWS

Italian football fans have spread bogus claims that Prince William snubbed their President at Wembley by not congratulating him on winning the match.

Angry fans slammed the royal for not immdediately walking over to shake President Sergio Mattarella’s hand in the royal box when the game ended.  

It came after footage of the Duke of Cambridge was published in the Italian press showing the British royal looking over to the President in the moments following their pentalty shoot out victory.

It is not clear if the Duke was trying to make his way over to the President, Sneakers2090 ,but in the clip he appears to be intercepted and distracted by another individual before he has the chance.

The Italian fans conceded they could not know if the Duke congratulated the President off camera or in private later that evening.

Some Italian fans also called the Duke ‘rude’ after claiming he left before the winning team were awarded the Euro 2020 trophy.   

But the claims were today debunked after Kensington Palace and UEFA said the Duke remained in the royal box while the Euro2020 cup was awarded to the Italian team.   

Prince William (right) attended the Euro2020 final with wife Kate Middleton (left) and their seven-year-old son Prince George (middle) where Italian fans claimed he left before the winners cup was awarded. The claims were disputed by Kensington Palace. Pictured: Dejected trio after England loss

Angry Italian fans also claim the Duke snubbed the Italian President by not congratulating him after the match when a clip showed the royal box in the moments after Italy won on penalties

The Duke can be seen looking over towards the white-haired President (left) in the clip, but then a bald man turns to congratulate the Prince, blocking his route to Sergio Mattarella

England’s team, led by Gareth Southgate, lost to the European team in Sunday night’s final after a tense game at Wembley stadium. 

The match ended on a 1-1 draw and went into extra time before ending in penalties.

Despite two saves by Jordan Pickford, England missed three consecutive penalties and Italy were crowned the champions of Europe in front of 60,000 fans at Wembley. 

The Duke watched the match from the VIP box along with wife Kate Middleton and their seven-year-old son Prince George.

The royal trio were accused of leaving the stadium before the cup ceremony –Latest Jordan UK , a claim which has been refuted after Kensington Palace who confirmed he remained in the royal box throughout the final presentation. 

But the perceived snub prompted outrage from Italian fans, with many taking to social media to brand the Duke ‘rude’, while another called him ‘pathetic’. 

One wrote on social media: ‘They too are rude and leave early in order not to reward the champion team, that is Italy’.

Another called the royal family ridiculous, writing on Twitter: ‘William and Kate leaving the stadium before the awards ceremony are ridiculous.’

They captioned their post with a ‘pathetic’ hashtag and ‘it’s coming Rome’, a tongue in cheek reference to the popular British football slogan. 

‘Prince William left the stadium before the awards giving. Well, it’s simply silly’ followed by a clown emoji. 

Another posted two pictures of the royal trio, one showing Prince George’s glee at England’s goal and another of him being consoled by his parents at the end of the match.

The Duke was called ‘rude’and ‘pathetic’ by angry Italian fans who claimed he left before the cup ceremony – a claim denied by Kensington Palace

They also claim the Prince snubbed Italian President (pictured centre with Italy’s defender Giorgio Chiellini right) by not congratulating him when his team won the penalty shoot out after a video was published in the Italian press – although they conceded they could not know if the Duke congratulated the President off camera or in private later that evening

The caption read: ‘Never cheer before’.  

The consternation was so widespread, the prince began trending on social media in Italy. 

But others came to the Duke’s defence, 2021Sneakers ,with one writing in Italian: ‘If my son tells me: dad I’m sad we lost I want to go home – then I’m going home.’ 

Another backed the family by writing: ‘I find it quite unlikely, it would be a really out of place… I mean, maybe it wasn’t their duty to do so (sic).’

Others questioned if an early departure was prompted by security issues, which were rife at Wembley stadium around the match.

Crowds of people without tickets stormed the stadium at one point, while Formula One driver Lando Norris was mugged of his £40,000 watch after the game as he approached his £165,000 McLaren supercar.

The consternation was so widespread, the Duke began trending on social media in Italy

Angry Italian fans took to social media to call the Prince ‘rude’ for allegedly leaving early

Another posted emojis of a clown in an apparent bid to mock the Prince for ‘leaving early’

This Twitter user posted two comparison photos of the royal trio captioning it: ‘Never cheer before’

Some jumped to the Prince’s defence saying any percieved snub would be out of character for the royal

Others questioned if an early departure was prompted by security issues – even though the Duke stayed at the stadium for the entirety of the trophy ceremony

One Italian posted on Twitter: ‘What if it’s a security question? Maybe fearing riots, they left the stadium. Let’s not forget that William and George are the direct heirs to the throne.’ 

Kensington Palace confirmed that they remained in the royal box for the entirety of the trophy award ceremony. 

UEFA also confirmed the Duke, who is the president of England’s Football Assocation, attended the ceremony. 

A  spokesperson told Mail Online: ‘The trophy ceremony took place, as is usual the case during such presentations, in attendance of the UEFA President, UEFA General Secretary and the two Presidents of the participating national associations, namely The FA and FIGC.’ 

The Duke’s personal disappointment at England’s loss was clear in an Instagram post he shared minutes after the end of the match.

The Duke wrote: ‘Heartbreaking. Congratulations @Azzuri on a great victory. @England, you’ve all come so far, but sadly this time it wasn’t our day. 

‘You can all hold your hands high, and be so proud of yourselves – I know there is more to come.