Why is Prince William an Aston Villa fan?

Prince William is an avid supporter of the Birmingham-based team

The Prince of Wales, a longstanding Aston Villa fan, was spotted with Prince George at a match together in their first public outing since the Princess of Wales’ cancer announcement.

Prince William was seen smiling and applauding in the Villa Park stands in Birmingham with his eldest son on Thursday evening.

George sported an Aston Villa scarf as the pair celebrated the club’s 2-1 win against Lille in the first leg of the Europa Conference League quarter-final.

William was seen turning to his son to say something as he applauded Ollie Watkins’ opening goal for the club.

Prince William has previously shed light on why he has spotted the club for so many years. Here we take a look at why he chose to support the team:

Prince William was seen smiling and applauding in the Villa Park stands in Birmingham with his eldest son on Thursday evening (TNT sports)

Speaking to the BBC in 2015, William explained why he decided to support Aston Villa over some of the larger clubs.

“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.

“Aston Villa’s always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000. Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea.

“It was 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.

“It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.”

Prince William and Prince George have identical reactions during Premier League match at Villa Park, Birmingham in 2023 (PA)

Several years later, in 2020, William doubled down on his reasoning for following the club and added that the history around the team has “always been quite close” to him.

“People like Paul Merson were playing and I thought if people like him can play as well as he does, knowing the struggles he was under at the time...this is a club I can support,” he said.

“I was also born in ‘82, the year we won the (European) Cup, so I feel the history and pedigree around Villa has always been quite close to me.”

William sported a claret tie to his sister-in-law Pippa Middleton’s wedding in May 2017 (AFP/Getty)

The prince has been spotted at a number of Villa matches over the years from 2013 to present day.

He notably attended the 2015 FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal, where he sat next to the then Villa owner Randy Lerner as a dignitary in the Royal Box.

The team lost the match 4-0 however and Prince William presented the trophy to his rival team.

William has also incorporated his support into his wardrobe having often been seen sporting a claret tie. One of these occasions included his sister-in-law Pippa Middleton’s wedding in May 2017.

Former Villa manager Steve Bruce welcomed the prince’s support in an interview in 2017.

He said: “He introduced Kate to me as the ‘top man’. He talked about the squad and how we have turned it around a little bit.

“He’s delighted we are moving it forward. Being a dad myself, you would like him as a son. He was impeccable.

“It’s not often you have the future King as a supporter so it’s great for the club.”