Prince William showed his support for Aston Villa on Wednesday night as he attended their match in Parc des Princes alongside his son George.
“I’ve got my son here as well, so I’m on best behaviour,” William said on TNT Sports.
“But I thought: You know what, it’s been 43 years since anything like this has happened in my generation as a Villa fan, and I want George to experience a night out away from home in a big European competition.
“I hope it’s not 43 years until the next one happens, but I think those memories are really important to create and bringing him along tonight is a big deal for me.”
Prince Harry, at a similar age, travelled to Lens to watch England beat Colombia in the 1998 World Cup alongside his father, the then Prince Charles.
But in recent years it has been William who has become a better known football fan and he has been the patron of the Football Association since 2024 as well as its president since 2006.
As to why he supports Villa, the prince commented: “A long time ago at school, I got into football big time. All my friends were Chelsea or Manchester United fans, and I didn’t really want to follow the run-of-the-mill team.
“I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments. Aston Villa has always had a great history.”
Here are some of the best photos of William in the stands from over the years.
William can’t bear to look as his team play out a Champions League group game in autumn 2024
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William jumps for joy as England score at Euro 2024 in Germany
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Yes! Oh, wait … Poor decision
Aston Villa score …
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… only for the goal to be ruled out
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William can’t believe what he is seeing during a Carabao Cup tie in 2021
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The assumption being that Will and Kate are joining in with the national anthem and not a chant mocking the opposition goalie in 2020
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Remember masks in football stadiums? Will donned for for the early rounds of Euro 2020 (played in 2021)
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William has a row to himself at Spartans FC’s Ainslie Park Stadium in Edinburgh (he was there in 2021 to hear about a mental health programme)
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Will is perhaps at his most animated while playing (and winning?) at table football
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The prince is joined by Villa legend John Carew in the stands. The pair have sat together a few times
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Pure joy/or grief (we can’t tell)
Hard to say what William was expressing in 2013
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‘You’ve got to hold and give and do it at the right time …’
William leaves the pre-match pep talk to his wife
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