Prince William paid tribute to soccer star Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva after they died in a car crash in Spain.

The Prince of Wales, as patron of the Football Association (F.A.), English soccer’s governing body, will have an acute understanding of what Jota’s family are going through after his own mother, Princess Diana, died in a Paris car crash when he was 15.

The prince said he was “deeply saddened” by the tragedy in Zamora, Spain, on Thursday.

Prince William and Diogo Jota

“As part of the footballing family, I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Diogo Jota and his brother,” Prince William wrote. “Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who knew him.”

The message, signed with a personal “W,” came as soccer fans and players expressed their shock at Jota’s death.

Superstar Cristiano Ronaldo, who played with Jota for Portugal, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “It doesn’t make sense. We were just together in the national team, and you had just gotten married.

“To your family, your wife and your children, I send my condolences and wish them all the strength in the world. I know you will always be with them. Rest in peace, Diogo and Andre. We will all miss you.”

 

In late June, Jota, 28, married Rute Cardoso, his partner of 10 years, who must now mourn her husband while consoling their three children.

The Lamborghini the brothers were traveling in careered off the road and burst into flames with Spanish police saying in a statement that a tire on the car had burst while they were overtaking at around 12.30 a.m. on Thursday, Reuters reported.

William will understand better than most just how traumatic the loss will be for Jota and Cardoso’s children after his own mother, Princess Diana, died in a car crash in Paris in August, 1997.

While his connection to soccer as patron of the F.A. is the primary reason he paid tribute to the brothers, William also supports Child Bereavement UK, a charity for children who have lost parents.

In life, Diana supported the charity too and in 2009 William talked candidly about his grief: “I am incredibly proud to be able to continue her support of such an extraordinary charity by becoming your Royal Patron.

“What my mother recognized then—and what I understand now—is that losing a close family member is one of the hardest experiences that anyone can ever endure.

“Never being able to say the word ‘mummy’ again in your life sounds like a small thing. However, for many, including me, it is now really just a word—hollow and evoking only memories.

“I can therefore wholeheartedly relate to the Mother’s Day Campaign as I too have felt—and still feel—the emptiness on such a day as Mother’s Day.

“The Child Bereavement Charity reaches out to people, working closely with families to provide support and counseling at the time when they most need it in their lives.”