King sends sympathies to Scotland team after World Cup exit... then suggests Tartan Army could back England!

Published: 19:09, 28 June 2026 | Updated: 19:09, 28 June 2026 The King has offered his ‘sincere commiserations’ to Scotland after they were knocked out the World Cup – and urged fans to now consider supporting England. With just one group win, against Haiti, the Scots failed to secure a place in the last 32 of the tournament. Their fate was confirmed on Saturday night after Croatia’s 2-1 win against Ghana. Head coach Steve Clarke then announced his immediate resignation. In a statement on social media, Charles paid tribute to the ‘joy’ the team had brought to the nation.  The message read: ‘To the players, outgoing manager and support staff, I would like to offer you my sincere commiserations on exiting the World Cup. ‘While I know what a huge disappointment this will be – just as it is for New Zealand, who didn’t make it through and have my similar sympathies – I hope you may be able to return home with proud hearts for the joy you have given to so many in having qualified for the first time in over 25 years.’ King Charles attended the opening of the Scottish parliament on Saturday in Edinburgh Scotland's exit from the World Cup was confirmed in the early hours of Sunday morning And the King then asked fans to perhaps switch their allegiance to England for the rest of the event. He said: ‘I fear that traditional sporting rivalries mean it may be too much to hope that the devoted Tartan Army of yours will now cheer with full voice for the three other realms still in contention, but my wife and I nonetheless wish England, Australia and Canada the very best of luck for the battles ahead.’ The message ended with Charles’s signature above a Saltire. Meanwhile, departing boss Clarke also posted a message on social media.  The three-page letter, entitled Bye-Bye Scotland, said: ‘As I reflect on my seven years in the job my overriding emotion is pride. ‘The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players. They deserve all the praise they receive and it was an honour to be called their gaffer.  'Thanks for having me and good luck to my successor.’ The First Minister said he was ‘sorry’ to see Clarke go after he led the national side to three out of the last four tournaments. John Swinney added: ‘He has taken the team and the country on an exciting journey to reach the World Cup for the first time in 28 years and he has so much to be proud of. I wish him well.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.