
Tens of thousands of defiant England and France fans were joined by Prince William for a rousing rendition of the French national anthem as a packed Wembley crowd showed their support for victims of the Paris terror attacks on Tuesday evening.

More than 70,000 football fans - including Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson and David Cameron - came together in a poignant display of solidarity as the two nations went head-to-head in the most high-security football match in British history, just four days after the atrocities in the French capital.

Prince William took to the Wembley pitch with England manager Roy Hodgson and French coach Didier Deschamps to lay floral tributes ahead of the national anthems.

Fans on both sides then sang La Marseillaise before an impeccably-observed minute's silence was held on a moving night in North London. The French players, including Lassana Diarra - whose cousin was one of the Paris victims - linked arms as the teams lined up to sing the anthems.

In a show of unity, English and French players then stood together for a moment of applause, while fans held up coloured sheets of paper to display a huge French flag. The emotional occasion was too much for one French supporter as he was pictured wiping away tears.

England won the match 2-0 thanks to goals from Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli and captain Wayne Rooney.

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Tribute: Prince William took to the Wembley pitch with England manager Roy Hodgson (left) and French coach Didier Deschamps (right) to lay floral tributes ahead of the international friendly between England and France at Wembley Stadium this evening

The emotional occasion saw one French fan break down as a rousing rendition of the French national anthem was sung at Wembley

Circle of solidarity: Players came together for an impeccably-observed minute's silence to remember those killed in the Paris attacks

Wembley's salute to France: Fans on both sides gave a rousing rendition of the French national anthem La Marseillaise as a packed crowd showed their support for victims of the Paris terror attacks. Supporters also held up sheets of coloured paper to make the French flag

Fans who took to their seats early held a flag reading 'Thanks to the world Le Chagnot' in tribute to those killed in Paris on Friday night

Prince William and David Cameron joined in with the national anthems of both countries as Wembley paid an emotional tribute to the 129 people who were killed in the Paris terror attacks last Friday

United: Both teams stood together for a moment of applause in a show of unity prior to the international friendly match at Wembley

Afterwards, France captain Hugo Lloris told ITV Sport: 'We would like to thank all the English people in the stadium for their respect. The performance was not easy and I think we had a lack of aggressiveness and concentration but maybe it's a bit normal.'

When asked why it was important to play the game, Lloris replied: 'I think it was more about solidarity and to show character because sport and football is important, life still goes on, you have to carry on.'

Rooney said: 'It was always going to be a difficult night for everyone, especially the French players and staff. For ourselves to be involved in this occasion was tough, the young players were excited but it was a difficult game for them. I thought both teams handled it extremely well.

'The fans were brilliant - this will be shown around the world and will show unity. Football is a global game and, as Didier Deschamps said yesterday, it is not about relegation or race. We need to stand tall and stand together in these tough times.'

Alli, 19, scored on his first senior international start for his country after producing a great strike from the edge of the box on 38 minutes. Rooney then made it two shortly after half-time by volleying in a cross from Raheem Sterling.

Substitute Diarra came on to a big round of applause from the Wembley crowd on 57 minutes.

Elsewhere, Germany's friendly against Holland was cancelled just 90 minutes before kick-off after the stadium in Hanover was evacuated when a suspicious object was found inside. Hanover's police chief said authorities had 'concrete information' about a bomb threat.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was planning to attend the game, due to start at 7.45 GMT, and some reports suggest she had already arrived when the game was called off. One report on a local newspaper website claimed an ambulance packed with explosives has been found outside the arena.

France manager Deschamps revealed after the game against England that he didn't tell his players about the postponed game in Germany before kick-off at Wembley.

He said: 'I found out during the warm-up. I was discussing with my staff at the edge of the pitch during the warm up and we didn’t think we needed to transmit it to the players.

'The atmosphere was heavy enough. I didn’t think if they found out through other means, but it was something we didn’t need to add.'

Remembering Paris victims: A French supporter is seen with 'Vive La France' scrawled across her forehead and a heart painted on her nose

Showing their support: A little girl in the crowd cheers on the French team with the country's national flags painted on her cheeks (left), while supporters also hold up a flag combining a peace symbol with the Eiffel tower (right)

French supporters hold up the sign 'United colours of France...Pray for Paris' at the game between England and France at Wembley tonight

Linked arm in arm, supporters are shown with t-shirts in the colours of the French national flag, complete with a peace symbol and Eiffel tower on them and the date of the Paris terror attacks

French flags are waved proudly by fans inside Wembley stadium as supporters take in the game between England and France this evening

Prince William laid a wreath at the game in tribute to those who lost their lives when ISIS gunmen carried out a series of attacks in Paris

From left, England manager Roy Hodgson, FA chairman Greg Dyke, David Cameron and Prince William observe a minute's silence tonight

Emotional: Among the French players was Lassana Diarra, whose cousin was one of the victims of Friday's terror attacks in Paris

Overhead shot: A bird's eye view of a packed Wembley crowd shows how the stadium's arch is lit up in the French tricolore (pictured)

In Germany, police were forced to cancel the national team's friendly game against Holland because of 'concrete information' about a bomb threat. An armed police officer is pictured outside the stadium in Hanover, where the game was called off 90 minutes before kick-off

Meanwhile, Deschamps thanked England after Wembley paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the French capital.

He said: 'I would like to thank everyone for the statement and actions of solidarity.

'We felt very grateful for how the whole England nation have supported us. We have had this moment of communal grief and it has been good for us.

'There was a sporting dimension but I think on a human level the occasion had far greater importance.

'I don’t want to take anything away from England. The desire and will was there, we were up for it but I think all considered the human aspect was more important.'

Announcements at the 45,000-capacity stadium in northern Germany advised fans to leave calmly and that there was no danger. Most fans were still waiting outside when the order to evacuate came.

Police had earlier sealed off the HDI Arena after finding a suitcase, before later allowing fans to enter. In a separate incident, spectators were also evacuated from a Hanover rock concert venue close by.

It followed yesterday's decision to cancel Belgium's friendly against Spain in Brussels due to the increased terrorist threat.

Germany were playing France at the Stade De France when three suicide bombers detonated their vests outside the stadium on a night of coordinated terror attacks on the French capital.

In another friendly game played this evening, between Turkey and Greece in Istanbul, chants of 'Allahu Akbar' were reportedly heard as some home fans shamefully booed a pre-match minute's silence for the victims of the Paris attacks.

Coming together: Many of the football fans who went along to the game this evening had drawn English and French flags on their faces

England fans show their support for the victims of the Paris terror attacks by displaying a St George's flag with the message 'Pray for Paris'

Paying tribute: One supporter scrawled 'RIP France' in red and blue colours on a white sheet of paper held up as part of the French flag

French supporters were joined by English fans, David Cameron and Prince William in singing a rousing rendition of La Marseillaise

Fans held up coloured sheets of paper to display a huge French flag ahead of the game between France and England at Wembley stadium

English and French players line up for the national anthem as Prince William, Roy Hodgson and Didier Deschamps stand over floral tributes

England's coaching staff sing the national anthems of both countries prior to the kick-off of an international friendly at Wembley Stadium

A giant French flag was displayed on one of the screens inside Wembley, above the French motto 'Liberte, Egalite and Fraternite' - the cry used by revolutionaries meaning freedom, equality and fraternity - has been emblazoned in lights outside the stadium

A football fan holds up a French flag before the start of the friendly match between England and France at Wembley on Tuesday night

The FA was forced to apologise after it emerged the match programme would feature no reference to the Paris atrocities, blaming it on print deadlines. It later said an insert on the tragic events was going to be placed inside every programme (left). A young fan is pictured right

The Football Association tweeted an apology, saying that print deadlines meant the match programme did not refer to the Paris attacks

At Wembley, officials launched one of the tightest security operations ever seen at a sporting event - including at the Olympics in 2012 - with armed police and SAS units already patrolling the 90,000-seater stadium.

Following the attacks, supporters snapped up an extra 10,000 tickets for the fixture in what was seen as a show of defiance against terrorism. However, the Football Association was forced to apologise after it emerged the match programme would feature no reference to the Paris atrocities.

A spokesman blamed print deadlines but later said an insert sheet on the tragic events was going to be placed inside every programme.

Earlier today, anti-terror officers and sniffer dogs were pictured combing the nearby area for bombs, while armed guards were seen flanking the French team as they walked close to the stadium.

In an unprecedented move, 5,000 troops were put on standby for Tuesday night's clash while the SAS had orders to shoot to kill had there been any sign of another terror attack.

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe said an hour before the match that the security operation was going well.

'People are streaming in, we are expecting a nearly full house, at least 75,000 people. I don't think too many have been put off, our job is to make sure people are reassured and kept safe.'

The French team stood arm in arm as both sides lined up to sing the national anthems in front of a packed crowd at Wembley Stadium

England and France players gather in the centre circle at Wembley in a tribute to those who died in the terror attacks on the French capital

Players of both sides are seen embracing ahead of kick-off on what was an emotional night at Wembley following last Friday's Paris attacks

One supporter holds up a poster that reads 'Pray for Paris' (left), while Roy Hodgson and Didier Deschamps share an embrace (right)

Dele Alli starred for England against France on Tuesday night, scoring the opening goal at Wembley after being set up by Wayne Rooney

Celebrating: England won the match 2-0 after Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli opening the scoring on his first senior international start

Captain Wayne Rooney made it two shortly after half-time, volleying in a cross from Raheem Sterling. He celebrated the goal with Alli (right)

Substitute Diarra came on to a big round of applause from the Wembley crowd on 57 minutes. He replaced Yohan Cabaye (right)

Appreciation: French players went over to applaud the crowd after the game (left). Afterwards, France captain Hugo Lloris (right with England striker Harry Kane) thanked English supporters for their respect. He said it was not an easy game for the French players

England's Dele Alli produced a wonder strike which saw the ball fly into the top corner of Hugo Lloris' net to open the scoring on Tuesday

He said there was no specific intelligence of any problem at the match.

Mr Hogan-Howe added: 'France were playing on that awful night in Paris on Friday, they are playing again tonight, there are a lot of French people here and we want to reassure them.

'We have a range of measures intended to keep people safe and to show our support for the French people and the French nation.'

Fans arriving early for the match included friends Ansheed Tahir, 24, and Mazin Mohammed, 23, who are students from Upton Park, east London.

The pair spoke of their concern after Friday's events but both said that they were determined to attend the match to show their sympathy for people in France.

Mr Tahir said: 'We have had the tickets for two months and have not been put off by what happened.

'I am looking forward to the minute's silence and a chance to show solidarity with the people of Paris.'

Manchester City and England star Raheem Sterling fights for the ball against France's Lucas Digne during the international friendly match

France's Blaise Matuidi and Lucas Digne shadowed England striker Harry Kane as the two teams went head-to-head at Wembley stadium

Out in force: French supporters wave their flags at the game, while one fan is pictured wearing a red, white and blue blazer (front)

Enjoying the game: Prince William and David Cameron are seen watching from the stands during England and France's friendly at Wembley

The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, was part of the Wembley crowd this evening (left), along with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn (right)

Tweeting: The Labour leader tweeted about how he had decided to attend the game to 'show solidarity at this symbolic match' (pictured)

Specialist counter-terrorism officers were deployed at Wembley Stadium ahead of the most high-security football match in British history

Armed police were seen patrolling Wembley Stadium at tonight's game between England and France, four days after the Paris terror attacks

Support: One banner held up by French supporters read 'Play for Paris' as fans began filling the stadium ahead of the match this evening

French football fans were seen draped in scarves, while one wore a wig in the colours of the French national flag, as players warmed up

Two French football supporters are seen wearing the national team's shirts, with scarves around their necks, as they hold up a French flag

His friend added: 'This has not affected us as Muslims. People in Britain are good to us. Globally there is blame for the Muslims but it is a tiny minority who are doing this and we do not approve of violence - it is against our religion.'

French fans included a group of friends from Dunkirk.

One of them, Glavier Krishna, 31, said: 'We have had the tickets for two months and did not think about not coming here. We do not expect what happened in France to happen again here. It's life - and what happened in Paris is in the past.'

French fans then broke into choruses of La Marseillaise on their way to the stadium, which bears the words Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite in red, white and blue. The arch over the ground is also lit in the colours of the French flag.

Armed police stood guard on Olympic Way, the main approach to the stadium.

Among those attending is the Duke of Cambridge, president of the Football Association, who told the FA on Monday that he wanted to be at the game in a show of support for the grieving nation.

Players of both sides wore black armbands during tonight's game. They are pictured in the tunnel before walking out onto the pitch

French supporters arrived at Wembley this evening, with one holding up a sign which read 'Thank you England, thank you the world'

French fans pose for photos holding the country's national flag, with the Wembley arch lit up in the French tricolore in the background

A police helicopter could be seen circling above Wembley Stadium tonight (left) as supporters from both nations began arriving for the game. Meanwhile, members of the armed forces were pictured (right) arriving at the stadium this afternoon from Wembley Park Tube station

Armed police were seen standing guard outside Wembley Stadium - which has been lit up in the colours of the French flag - ahead of tonight's international friendly between France and England

Solidarity: England fan Graham Chadwick waves a French flag while his son holds an English one as the pair walk towards the stadium (left). They arrived early for the game, with thousands of other supporters later descending on Olympic Way ahead of the match (right)

A French fan is shown in the stands wearing a France football shirt with a message of tribute to the victims of the terror attack in Paris

England players Kyle Walker (left), Ryan Bertrand (centre) and Phil Jones (right) are pictured arriving at Wembley for tonight's match

Manchester City's Raheem Sterling (far left) and Everton defender John Stones are seen arriving, while England manager Roy Hodgson (right) is seen talking on the pitch ahead of kick-off at Wembley

Armed police officers watch over fans arriving at Wembley Stadium ahead of a friendly game between England and France in North London

Today, he and the Duchess of Cambridge went to the French Ambassador's residence in London where they wrote in the book of condolences for those who lost their lives in the atrocities.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said tonight's game was a chance to 'pay tribute to the bravery' of those affected by the massacre.

They said: 'Tonight's game is a chance to pay tribute to the bravery and resolve of the French people and the French team, who were of course affected directly by Friday's attacks.

'Going ahead with the game is a powerful message of Britain's friendship and partnership with France in the face of people who are intent on dividing societies.'

David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn and London Mayor Boris Johnson are also expected to be in the stands, after vowing to 'carry on' with normal life in the wake of the Paris atrocities.

Mr Cameron said the event would allow Britain to show 'solidarity' with its French neighbours.

He added: 'The barbaric terrorist attacks have shocked the world but also united us in our unwavering resolve to defeat this evil.

'Tonight at Wembley, football fans will send a clear message - the terrorists will never win.'

France supporters waved national flags under the banner 'Strength + Support' as the players warmed up on the pitch ahead of the game

The French team were seen applauding supporters as they took to the Wembley pitch to warm up before tonight's friendly with England

English fans are pictured with the French flag and the Cross of St George painted on their cheeks in a show of unity ahead of the game

As the national anthems were sung, hundreds of French supporters proudly held out scarves in a show of defiance after the Paris attacks

Ready for the match: England fans Tom, Dan and Taylor McGuigan and Paul Mallen from Mansfield show their support outside the stadium

A sign with the message '100% search in operation' greeted supporters as they made their way down Olympic Way towards the stadium

England fans arrived at Wembley to heavy rain but it failed to dampen their enthusiasm as they set out to show support for Paris victims

Supporter Robert Williams waves a French flag as he poses with his son Kian - who has an English flag - outside the stadium in London

More than 80,000 football fans - including Jeremy Corbyn, Prince William and David Cameron - will come together tonight in a poignant display of solidarity tonight as the two nations go head-to-head, just four days after the Paris atrocities. Fans are seen outside the stadium

Until Friday, around 70,000 tickets had been sold for the game, which was initially arranged to support Breast Cancer Care, the FA's official charity partner.

But there is expected to be upwards of 80,000 fans in the stadium for the 8pm kick-off, following a surge in sales over the past four days.

The FA even announced it would be offering refunds to fans, following the Paris atrocities, but just 100 people have so far taken up the offer.

Martin Glenn, the FA chief executive, added: 'Had we been seeing tens of thousands wanting their money back, there would be a level of concern.

'But it’s been quite the opposite. People are determined to show their solidarity.'

With the stadium almost at capacity, tonight's game is expected to one of the most emotional in the stadium's history.

In a visible display of unity, the Wembley Arch is lit up in the red, white and blue colours of the French flag, while the French motto 'Liberte, Egalite and Fraternite' - the cry used by revolutionaries meaning freedom, equality and fraternity - has been emblazoned in lights outside the stadium.

Metropolitan Police officers on horses were pictured patrolling the outskirts of Wembley as fans made their way down Olympic Way

French fans held up a flag which read 'Pray for Paris' as they arrived at Wembley Stadium ahead of France's game with England tonight

French fans are seen outside the stadium before the international friendly match between England and France on Tuesday night

Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officers from the Metropolitan Police are pictured on patrol of the stadium ahead of tonight's game

Specialist counter-terrorism officers from the Metropolitan Police are seen inspecting Wembley this evening ahead of tonight's match

The French national team, including head coach Didier Deschamps, front left, were seen boarding the team bus from the hotel tonight

Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud (left) and Juventus' Paul Pogba (right) were seen getting onto the bus as the team left for Wembley Stadium

Proud: French football fans posed outside Wembley Stadium this afternoon ahead of their national team's game against England

The words to La Marseillaise, the national anthem, will also be projected across screens while multi-coloured material will be placed on the seats in the England end of the stadium so fans can form the French Tricolore by waving the segments in the air.

A one minute silence will also take place before kick-off, while the FA said the England team will make a 'gesture of solidarity' to the French team before the game begins.

Despite the proceeds originally being promised to the charity, there is growing support for an online petition which is calling for the profits to be donated to Médecins Sans Frontières and the French Red Cross.

THE HISTORY OF LA MARSEILLAISE France's national anthem La Marseillaise will be sung by English as well as French fans this evening. The song of defiance was composed by Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, a captain in the French army, in 1792 after Austrian and Prussian troops invaded France in an attempt to quell the revolution. Rouget de Lisle had been asked by the mayor of Strasbourg to write a song that would rally troops to 'defend their homeland that is under threat', and it was later sung by soldiers from Marseilles as they approached Paris, giving the song its nickname. It became the French national anthem in 1795, before losing its status under Napoleon I. The song was reinstated during France's third republic - the era from 1870 onwards. The first verse and chorus of the anthem is as follows: Allons enfants de la Patrie Le jour de gloire est arrivé! Contre nous, de la tyrannie L'étendard sanglant est levé Entendez-vous dans les campagnes Mugir ces féroces soldats? Ils viennent jusque dans nos bras Égorger nos fils, nos compagnes! Aux armes, citoyens! Formez vos bataillons Marchons, marchons! Qu'un sang impur Abreuve nos sillons! Translated into English, it goes: Arise, children of the Fatherland The day of glory has arrived! Against us tyranny's Bloody banner is raised Do you hear, in the countryside The roar of those ferocious soldiers? They're coming right into your arms To cut the throats of your sons, your women! To arms, citizens! Form your battalions Let's march, let's march Let an impure blood Water our furrows! Advertisement

The international friendly is being played just four days after the coordinated terror strikes across the French capital that saw 129 people murdered.

Fans have been told to expect an increased police presence at transport hubs and 'in and around' the stadium, including armed officers. They have also been encouraged to arrive around 40 minutes early to allow for extra security checks at the turnstiles.

Yesterday, British armed police were deployed to guard France's national football team as the players trained at the stadium.

Among them was Lassana Diarra, who arrived in London on Monday just days after it was confirmed his cousin was one of the victims of Friday's terror attacks in Paris.

The French international footballer, who counts Chelsea and Arsenal as his former teams, was playing in a match against Germany when suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the Stade de France in what was the start of a night of bloodshed.

Diarra and the other 22 players named in the French squad to play against England were given the option to pull out of the friendly as France observes three days of mourning, but none of them have done so.

Antoine Griezmann will take part despite being directly affected by the attacks. Griezmann's sister managed to escape the mass killing at the Bataclan theatre, where 89 people died after it was stormed by armed terrorists.

France's team coach was also given a police escort as it made its way from Luton Airport to the squad hotel ahead of tonight's fixture.

As the players geared up for the friendly, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe revealed how he wants to double the number of armed officers in London in the wake of the Paris terror attacks.

The Scotland Yard chief said the number of firearms officers in the capital was being reviewed following the massacres.

But he revealed that he expects to have to slash 5,000 officers from his 32,000-strong force to cope with austerity cuts following Chancellor George Osborne's spending review later this month.

The Commissioner told LBC radio: 'I think what Paris showed us, with so many attackers with so many scenes, moving around at speed ... we need to have a mobile reserve. And I've got a good idea how that can be achieved.'

He said he would be announcing the exact details of the plan in coming weeks, but it would involve changes to the number of armed officers.

Currently, only about 2,000 of London's 32,000 officers are armed. When asked whether that was enough, Sir Bernard replied: 'I think at the moment we're fine.'

He added: 'What I've said is ... we're working on plans now so that in the short period of time we've got an extra third on top of the core provision.

'The armed response vehicle element we're increasing by a third straight away. But then the overall pool I want to increase by a third overall and also at any one time, on duty, probably double.'

Mr Hogan-Howe added that tonight's international friendly between England and France will involve some armed police officers - a response the Commissioner admitted would seem unusual to Britons.

There will be 'a few hundreds' police officers, including some on horses and with dogs, as part of the increased security operation.

He said: 'I hope they're reassured by it, not worried by it. We usually police football matches on the amount of football violence there might be there. We're not expecting any tonight.'

Today, Belgian anti-terror police cancelled a planned international friendly against Spain after Jihadi Salah Abdeslam was apparently spotted outside the King Baudouin stadium after returning to Brussels.

But Scotland Yard said that no specific threat had been made against the match. They asked fans to be the police's 'eyes and ears' and approach the nearest officer if they noticed anything of concern.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn was branded a 'f*****g disgrace' over his refusal to support armed and special forces shooting dead marauding terrorists.

Former Cabinet ministers have distanced themselves from the Labour leader over his stance on the shoot to kill policy.

Even his own shadow foreign secretary expressed dismay at Corbyn's stance, days after 129 people were slaughtered by ISIS fanatics in the French capital.

He told BBC News: 'I'm not happy with the shoot to kill policy in general – I think that is quite dangerous and I think can often can be counterproductive.

'I think you have to have security that prevents people firing off weapons where they can, there are various degrees of doing things as we know. But the idea you end up with a war on the streets is not a good thing.

'Surely you have to work to try and prevent these things happening, that's got to be the priority.'

The Labour leader also questioned if the drone strike which killed Jihadi John was legal - and refused to say if he would ever back military action against Islamic extremists.

It also emerged Mr Corbyn plans to attend a Christmas party for an anti-war campaign which blamed the Paris atrocities on western intervention in the Middle East.

Armed police have been deployed to Wembley stadium as the French players arrived at the venue ahead of tonight's friendly international against England

The international friendly is expected to involve one of the tightest security operations ever seen at a sporting event, with armed police (pictured), thorough searches of fans and 5,000 troops on standby

The SAS and armed police (pictured left and right) are poised for a shoot to kill operation at tonight's game at Wembley as 80,000 fans come together in a poignant display of solidarity against Friday's terror attacks

A squad from Scotland Yard arrived at the stadium in North London early this morning as they prepared for Tuesday night's fixture

Preparations: Police search through bushes surrounding the north London stadium amid heightened security for the event this evening

Sombre mood: The French squad were pictured walking around Wembley Stadium this morning ahead of the game against England

Laurent Koscielny (centre) walks with his teammates around the stadium as armed police stand guard nearby ahead of the Wembley game

French midfielder Paul Pogba walks with players and staff near the stadium this morning, escorted by officers from the Metropolitan Police

Antoine Griezmann (hooded) was directly affected by the attacks. Griezmann's sister managed to escape the mass killing at the Bataclan theatre, where 89 people died after it was stormed by armed terrorists