EXCLUSIVEIt's WAG war! Fed up with 'publicity seeking' Annie Kilner, how the others are 'drawing the line', says KATIE HIND, as insiders tell of 'nightmare' of Kyle and her marital dramas - and fury when it was found exactly who was leaking it all...
The cavalry, when they arrived, came in style: one by one, the six private jets landed at German airport Erfurt-Weimar, at an estimated cost of over £400,000.
Inside the planes were some of the England football team's Wags, determined to support their men, revitalise the squad performance — and draw a line under what have been weeks of non-stop drama.
Nominally, the fleet had taken off so the glossy passengers onboard could enjoy a 'family day' with their partners following their win against Slovakia in extra time last Sunday.
But make no mistake, this was also a vital intervention on behalf of many of the Wags, who have been dismayed at the behaviour of certain players' wives — namely, Annie Kilner, 30, wife of vice-captain Kyle Walker, and Charlotte Trippier, 34, wife of defender Kieran Trippier.
One source close to these Wags told me: 'They wanted to show that they were there to productively support their men. They are not all publicity seekers.'
Team effort: England Wags Tolami Bensoni (girlfriend of Bukayo Saka), Ellie Anderson (Ollie Watkins), Megan Pickford (Jordan Pickford), Anouska Santos (Luke Shaw) and Dani Dyer (Jarrod Bowen) put on a show of togetherness in Germany
England players' partners and children step off a private jet in Germany. Six private jets landed at German airport Erfurt-Weimar, at an estimated cost of more than £400,000
The FA, too, I'm told, felt some relief at the show of unity heralded by the arrival of the women — goalkeeper Jordan Pickford's wife Megan; Declan Rice's unassuming partner Lauren Fryer; and Dani Dyer, partner of Jarrod Bowen, among them.
The verdict is that these women are thought to have displayed dignified behaviour, having the team's interest firmly at heart rather than being focused on settling private scores in public.
Indeed, many of the England squad and their families are said to be thoroughly worn out by the twists and turns which have followed Kyle Walker's very public paternity scandal — which was topped off by last week's revelations that a furious Charlotte Trippier had 'unfollowed' her husband on social media, a killer blow in the context of Wag world, and posted a cryptic message on her Instagram account on the same day as England took on Slovenia.
I'm told there have been a series of meetings within the FA about how they deal with these Wags overshadowing the team's performance. The upper echelons of the FA are said to be 'furious' at the quantity of column inches devoted to players' wives such as Annie and Charlotte.
However, that feeling appears to have quietened down as the week progressed, as FA bosses seemingly have finally worked out just how information about the players' very personal dramas — Kyle Walker, in particular — was making its way to pages of the newspapers.
Indeed, the FA seems to have finally woken up to the fact that much of the fuss has actually been fuelled by Annie and Kyle's PR machine, which for weeks has been briefing the media on a daily basis of the Wag's upset at her husband's former lover, Lauryn Goodman.
One source at the FA tells me: 'It took a while for the penny to drop that actually all of this was coming from Kyle's camp.
'If it wasn't for the non-stop handing over of information from the PR he and Annie share, then there wouldn't have been the coverage there was.'
Sources close to one of the Wags tell me that there was considerable frustration at Annie and Kyle's marital woes putting such a dark cloud over their partners' campaign to win the Euros.
Kyle Walker with wife Annie Kilner and their newborn son Rezon at the England v Slovakia game
England defender Kieran Trippier with his wife Charlotte, 34
One newspaper was even briefed that organisers had upped security to ensure that Lauryn couldn't get near Annie when England played Denmark in Frankfurt, a game Lauryn attended with her four-year-old son with Kyle.
Annie's PR, however, insists her fellow footballers' wives are fully supportive of her in her war against Lauryn, who has had two children with the footballer.
The PR even went as far as to say that her fellow Wags had placed a 'ring of steel' around her to protect her.
For the earlier Slovakia game, Annie was seen with her newborn son Rezon in the crowd. Some have speculated she attended to show Lauryn her family were very much reunited and happy.
Unfortunately, Annie was then subjected to unkind messages online for bottle-feeding her baby rather than breastfeeding.
It's all meant that, while Annie does have some friends in the Wag camp, others are growing tired of 'it all being about Annie and Kyle'. 'They're fed up with it,' says one friend of the clan. 'There are so many other players in the team.
'Being the wife of a footballer has obvious advantages, such as being able to live a lovely life, but it comes at a cost.
'At the moment that cost is supporting their partners as they desperately try to get as far as they can in the Euros.
'It has been a nightmare for them. Their performances have not exactly been up to scratch so when the Wags are not out there with the team, they are at home trying to keep morale up.
'Then you have Annie and Kyle's marriage problems, which are being talked about so much because of them [Annie and the PR].'
Determined, then, to change the narrative, these 'good Wags' are shunning the machinations of publicists, and are instead telling their own stories through careful posts on Instagram — or simply avoiding coverage altogether. Leading this wifely fightback is Kate Kane, childhood sweetheart of England's captain Harry Kane, who met her husband at primary school.
The pair grew up just minutes away from one another in North-East London, and have been at each other's side ever since. In defiance of the Wag wars, Kate posted a picture of herself and eldest daughter Vivi in a German hotel shortly before the Slovakia game.
A part from a small Chanel handbag, the image was a very understated one. And, as always, Kate had pixelated her nine-year-old daughter's face. But fans could see mum and daughter had the same curly hair and wore matching navy England shirts with her husband's number 9 on them.
Kyle's former lover Lauryn Goodman took their four-year-old son - one of two children she shares with the footballer - to see him and England play in Frankfurt
Sources close to one of the Wags said there was considerable frustration at Annie and Kyle's marital woes putting such a dark cloud over their partners' campaign to win the Euros
Kate, 30, wrote alongside the series of pictures: 'Me and mini me, excited for the game! Come on England! We love you @harrykane.' Her message was topped off with an England flag and a red heart.
It was all much in keeping with the mother-of-four's approach to Wag-dom: entirely focused on using her position as a force for good and to support her husband, she is heavily involved in the running of Bayern Munich striker Harry's foundation which he launched in 2022 to 'transform a generation's thinking about mental health'. Kate, a sports science graduate, works hard to raise awareness of the charity.
'Kate is very much the role model when it comes to how today's Wags behave,' said one football insider.
'She's a strong, hard-working woman in her own right but she would also never overshadow her husband. Her private life is very much private and the thought of airing any dirty laundry in public would absolutely horrify her.'
Mindful of how she is perceived publicly, she says little and smiles a lot: indeed, denim-jacketed Dani was seen with the couple's twin daughters proudly beaming as she got off a private jet to join her fiancé in Germany last weekend.
That smile is rarely absent when cameras are on her. Notably, her famous dad, actor Danny Dyer, 46, has been absent from the England games, despite being vocal on how chuffed he is about having the West Ham and England star as his future son-in-law. Instead, Dani travelled with her mum Jo.
A source close to her said: 'Dani is probably one of the most famous Wags what with being Danny Dyer's daughter and having a background in reality TV.
'But there have been no set-up paparazzi shots or bringing her dad along to games. She's just been there quietly supporting Jarrod from the sidelines. It's all about him and she's loved being a part of something so special with their girls. She has taken to it like a duck to water.'
A force behind the scenes in campaigning for a dignified presentation from her fellow Wags, despite her previous penchant for sharing her happy times on social media she has not posted once on Instagram during the competition. 'Megan thinks it's all about Jordan, and she's right,' says one friend.
Meanwhile, Tolami Benson, the stunning partner of Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, has been simply carrying on her normal life, and has largely avoided the Wag bubble.
The business studies graduate has been occupied with her day job as a PR executive, while her boyfriend has been with the England team in Germany. On Thursday morning she posted a video on Instagram in a car driving down the M1, writing alongside it: 'Didn't miss how early I have to be up to get to work.'
Later that day she posted a picture of her local polling station — signifying that she had voted in the General Election before jetting out to Germany to cheer her boyfriend on today.
Many will have found it heartening to see Lauren Fryer, the 26-year-old make-up artist and mother of Declan Rice's son Jude, stepping onto the airport tarmac in Germany this week.
Lauren found herself victim of cruel trolling in April when social media users questioned why Arsenal superstar Rice was with her, but has kept out of the public eye since. Her hurt at the public comments that she didn't resemble the stereotypical Wag, preferring to keep her natural curvy figure rather than having cosmetic treatments, was all too understandable.
Lauren, who cleared all of her social media accounts in the wake of the vile comments, has not posted a single picture during the tournament, presumably knowing that if she did it would be yet another story that would take away from England's Euro cause.
Meanwhile, lesser-known Wags including Irish model and dancer Aine May Kennedy, 27, the girlfriend of midfielder Conor Gallagher; Georgina Irwin, 28, wife of the team's second choice goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale; and Katie Bio, girlfriend of striker Ivan Toney have been a quiet presence without causing any drama.
They've proved there is a way to cheer on your man and country, without drawing unwarranted attention to themselves.
Undoubtedly, England manager Gareth Southgate will be hoping their much-needed composure means the only football talking point this weekend will be his team's victory over Switzerland.
