Eniola Aluko says her trip to Kensington Palace for breakfast with HRH The Duke of Cambridge on Thursday morning felt like meeting an "old friend".
The England squad were invited to the Palace by The FA President to kick-start a day of activities in London following their return from the Women’s World Cup earlier this week.
The England squad enjoyed a trip to Kensington Palace for breakfast with HRH The Duke of Cambridge on Thursday
And having already met the Prince prior to their trip to Canada, where England made history by finishing in third place, and receiving two messages of support from him during the competition, Aluko admits the last few weeks have been "surreal".
"We met the Prince just before we went to the World Cup and seeing him again was almost like catching up with an old friend," explained the Chelsea striker.
“It’s quite surreal and it is something that you’ll remember for the rest of your life”
Eniola Aluko
"It’s the first time I’ve been to Kensington Palace and he’s always so complimentary about the team and he was really proud of us, so it was nice to see him again.
"It’s quite surreal and it is something that you’ll remember for the rest of your life and tell your kids about, that you met the Prince and played in a World Cup.
"But we worked really hard for this, to try and get as far as we did in the World Cup and hopefully win it.
"We didn’t do that, but in terms of expectancy, we all worked really hard to get to where we did and it’s nice that we got there."
After their trip to the Palace, Mark Sampson and his squad then met Prime Minister David Cameron at No10 Downing Street, before heading to Wimbledon to watch the women’s semi-final on Centre Court.
After The Duke, our #Lionesses met the Prime Minister at @Number10gov. Here's @EniAlu in front of the famous door. pic.twitter.com/yr2k8yd6Ck
— England (@england) July 9, 2015
And with the players also preparing to return to FA WSL action with their clubs at the weekend, Aluko is hoping England’s World Cup achievement will lead to more interest and growth in the women’s game.
"Hopefully we can build on this now," she added, after taking part in a training session with pupils from Essendine School and Jubilee School in the gardens of the Palace.
"We had parents messaging us saying that their daughter wanted to get an England kit with one of the players’ names on, or their daughter wants to stay up and watch the games even though it’s a school night.
"With stuff like that, you get a feeling that you’re really having a wider impact and that’s what is really important, more so than winning football matches.
"It’s about the future generation and girls who are going to grow up and wear the England shirt one day.
Aluko returns to WSL action with Chelsea on Sunday, when they face Bristol Academy
"That’s the tangible and measurable benefit of it, seeing more fans coming to watch WSL games and growing the game.
"This is a huge catalyst to grow the game and hopefully that will happen."
Aluko and her Chelsea team-mates will take on Bristol Academy on Sunday afternoon at Staines Town FC. Click here for details on all of this weekend’s WSL fixtures.
