Prince William is sharing his condolences following the death of Sven-Göran Eriksson, the first foreign manager of England’s men’s national soccer team.
A family statement said that Eriksson died on Aug. 26 at age 76, BBC and ESPN reported. In January, he shared that he had inoperable pancreatic cancer, the Associated Press wrote.
Taking to X to share a personal message, Prince William wrote, “Sad to hear about the passing of Sven-Göran Eriksson. I met him several times as England manager and was always struck by his charisma and passion for the game.”
“My thoughts are with his family and friends. A true gentleman of the game,” the Prince of Wales, 42, continued, signing off “W.” Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, are known to sign social media posts on their official Prince and Princess of Wales handles with the initials of their first names to signal when messages come directly from them.
Eriksson was from Sweden, and moved into the managerial side of soccer after retiring from the game at age 27, the BBC reported.
He managed the England men’s national team, nicknamed the Three Lions, from 2001 to 2006, and met Prince William during that time.
King Charles’ elder son is the president of the Football Association, the governing body of soccer in England, and a loyal follower of the sport. In July, he attended the UEFA European Championship Final between England and Spain in Berlin, Germany, with his son Prince George, 11. The father and son duo watched the match with similar animated body language and shared a hug in the stands.
Prince William is known to send personal messages on X to comment on major news in the British soccer world, and he paid tribute to Eriksson amid his summer break with Princess Kate and their three children. Members of the British royal family are known to retreat from the limelight from late July through August for private vacations, and William and Kate were in Scotland over the weekend.
On Aug. 25, Prince William and Princess Kate, 42, were spotted driving to Crathie Kirk church on the estate of Balmoral Castle with Prince George. King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince Edward, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh and the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh’s son James, Earl of Wessex were also in attendance, the Daily Mail reported.
Princess Kate’s appearance marked her first public outing in over a month as she continues treatment for cancer. The Princess of Wales was last seen at Wimbledon with her daughter, Princess Charlotte, 9, on July 14, where she presented prizes in her role as patron of the All England Lawn and Tennis Club.
The royal family’s tradition of late summer stays at Balmoral was expected to continue as Princess Kate and her father-in-law the King, 75, each receive cancer treatment.
“She won’t have to be on center stage,” a palace insider previously told PEOPLE about how the Princess of Wales would spend the late summer at the private residence in the Scottish Highlands. “Being with her family and just being herself will give her energy. There will be plenty of time to focus on her recovery.”
Prince William and Princess Kate have always cleared their calendars in the summer to spend extra time with their kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, 6. The Prince of Wales’ return to work on Sept. 5 falls after his kids are back in the classroom for a new school year.
