Prince William leads tributes to Harry Kane as England captain breaks appearance record with 126th cap: Royal presents star with shirt marking occasion as Wembley celebrates milestone

Published: 14:45 EST, 12 November 2026 | Updated: 15:01 EST, 12 November 2026 Prince William led tributes for Harry Kane as Wembley honoured the England captain on reaching his record-breaking 126th cap against Croatia on Thursday.Kane, who became the first Englishman since Michael Owen in 2001 to win the Ballon d'Or last month, celebrated another remarkable feat as he surpassed legendary goalkeeper Peter Shilton as England's most capped player in history.After walking out with his four children for kick-off, followed by his England team-mates, the Bayern Munich forward first held his Ballon d'Or trophy aloft to Wembley's buoyant crowd, soaking up the celebrations.Shilton approached the England captain to present him with a medal displaying his achievement, before Kane's former Spurs team-mate Luka Modric continued the tributes by offering him another gift. Prince William then walked on to the pitch to shake Kane's hand and present him with a framed shirt, bearing the words 'Kane 126'.As well as holding the record for England's most capped player, the 33-year-old striker is also England's highest ever scorer with 91 goals, ahead of Wayne Rooney and Sir Bobby Charlton who netted 53 and 49 respectively during their careers.Prince William shakes Harry Kane's hand as he celebrates the England captain's record capHe has passed Peter Shilton as England's most capped player in history - with 126 to his namePrince William applauded 'brilliant and remarkable' Kane on his Ballon d'Or triumph with a personal social media message after the ceremony in London. The Prince of Wales, signing his message off with his personal 'W' initial, posted on Instagram: 'Huge congratulations to Harry Kane on winning the Ballon d'Or! What a fantastic achievement and so deserved. 'A brilliant captain, a remarkable player and someone who has given football fans across the world so many unforgettable moments.'Kane, who has been widely regarded as a model professional and humble superstar during his career, admitted he still has an ego of sorts in an interview on the eve of his record-breaking England cap.Asked if he has an ego, Kane replied: ‘That's a great question. I’m sure my wife will be able to say a thing or two!'But ego is funny, because ego is many different things. I guess I have an ego to be the best, because I want to be the best. I just don't do it in a show-off way.’On becoming England's highest appearance maker, he joked that some of his current Three Lions team-mates might catch his total by the end of their careers.‘Jude (Bellingham) and Declan (Rice), they're on 60-odd caps already and you look at how young they are,’ he added. ‘So I'll try and give them a good number to catch! The goal record is going to be the one that's difficult to beat. I think that’s good! The 33-year-old striker is also England's highest ever scorer, nine shy of a remarkable century’In football, you’ve never completed it. No matter what you’ve achieved, there is always a trophy that someone else has won or a goal record that someone else has. This is no time to rest. If anything, I've got better year on year, and the numbers have got better. 'While I'm feeling like this, why would I put any limit on myself? I'm just on the back of scoring 73 goals in one year, which is incredible, and I want to get 100 England goals as quickly as possible.‘My biggest fear is finishing my career and thinking I could have done a bit more. I want to make sure that I cross every bridge and do everything possible so that, whenever that day comes, I can say, “I’ve done everything possible. I have this record, I don’t have this record, but it doesn’t matter, I can sleep well at night”.’