Why is Prince William so obsessed with Aston Villa Football Club? The royal caught a game for his first public outing with son Prince George after Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis

Prince William’s first public outing with son George since his wife’s cancer diagnosis? A trip to Birmingham to watch his beloved football team, Aston Villa. To the delight of onlookers, the pair were seen reacting in nearly identical ways to tense moments of the match against Lille, then celebrating with claps and cheers as the final whistle blew to mark a win for Villa.

But why exactly does a prince, born and raised in London, support a football team with its home 160 kilometres away in the English Midlands? And why does “the beautiful game” feel more important than ever now that he’s a dad?

The future king’s choice of football team may have seemed random to some royal watchers over the years. However, it was precisely because Aston Villa wasn’t one of the top teams in football that a young William was drawn to the club. Not only was the first FA Cup match he ever attended with his mates a Villa game – “I remember sitting in the stands with my beanie on aged about 12, and I loved it,” he said on That Peter Crouch Podcast – but William was also looking for a more interesting club to support.

“All my friends at school were either Man U fans or Chelsea fans,” he told the BBC in May 2015. “I didn’t really want to follow the run-of-the-mill teams, and I wanted a team that was more middle of the table that could give me the more emotional roller-coaster moments.”