Prince William was seen cheering Aston Villa as they won their Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest. Photo / James Gill – Danehouse, Getty Images
Prince William was seen cheering Aston Villa as they won their Europa League semi-final against Nottingham Forest. Photo / James Gill – Danehouse, Getty Images
Prince William was spotted supporting his team Aston Villa at a historic match that has taken the club one step closer to European glory.
The Prince of Wales attended the May 8 match at Birmingham’s Villa Park, the second leg in the home team’s bid for the Europa League final.
Villa defeated Nottingham Forest 4-0, giving the team their first shot at the title since May 1982.
Prince William was filmed jumping in celebration as Emi Buendia scored Villa’s second goal, before John McGinn netted two more in the second half.
A May 20 win for the team against SC Freiburg in the final in Istanbul, Turkey, will secure their place in the Champions League.
The royal was also seen speaking to the team’s manager Unai Emery before the game.
Prince William is a longtime Villa supporter, telling the BBC in 2015 he had chosen the team because they were not “run of the mill”.
“A long time ago at school I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run-of-the-mill teams,” he said.
“I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments.”
The Prince of Wales (right) chats with Aston Villa's John McGinn, who scored two second-half goals as he helped the club to victory. Photo / Dan Mullan, Uefa via Getty Images
The prince, who was made patron of the Football Association two years ago, has described attending a match in 2000 between Bolton and Villa as “fantastic”.
“I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was sat with all the Brummie fans and had a great time.”
His son Prince George has also attended several Villa matches, including last year’s Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain.
“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,” he told The Independent.
“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.”
While Villa ultimately lost the tie that year, this season has marked a major resurgence for the club on the European stage.
