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

Jun 12 , 2024

Prince George and Prince William delighted onlookers with their nearly identical mannerisms during an April Aston Villa game against Nottingham Forest. Photo: @jjgiddens/Instagram

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.

Prince William (left) and his son, Prince George (right), glued to Aston Villa playing Lille on April 11. Photo: @william_catherine82/Instagram

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?

Prince William (left) loves nothing more than supporting his football team, Aston Villa, sometimes with kate Middleton and Prince George in tow. Photo: @royaltyconnection/Instagram

Why does Prince William support Aston Villa?

Prince William (left) reacts to Aston Villa’s May 2019 Championship win over Derby County at Wembley Stadium, which saw Villa promoted to the Premier League. Photo: Instagram

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.

Prince William (seated) opened up to former England footballer Peter Crouch (centre, back) on his podcast about what football means to him. Photo: @princesscharlotteduchesskate/Instagram

“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.”

How good are Aston Villa?

Aston Villa centre-back Tyrone Mings celebrates his team’s Championship win over Derby County at Wembley Stadium in May 2019. Photo: avfcofficial/Instagram

Founded in 1874, Aston Villa is one of the oldest and most storied football clubs in England. It has won the FA Cup seven times to date, and was European Cup champ in the early 1980s. The club went through a rough patch during the last decade though, including getting relegated from the Premier League in April 2016. It’s been a long road back to success since then – so the future king definitely got the roller coaster he wanted.

Jack Grealish was captain of Aston Villa from March 2019 until August 2021. Photo: @statmandave/Instagram

They are currently ranked seventh in the Premier League (the top tier of English football), and recently qualified for the Champions League (a competition for the sport’s top European clubs) for the first time ever. One of their most famous players in recent years was winger Jack Grealish, who signed to Manchester City in August 2021. Reported to have cost £100 million (around US$127 million), the deal was the most expensive transfer in British football history to date.

Just how big an Aston Villa fan is Prince William?

Like father, like son: Princes William and George. Photo: @fifi_loves_the_waleses/Instagram

It might be tempting to assume that a royal is more of a fair-weather fan, or that they show up to football games partly in an attempt to look like an “ordinary” person. Prince William, though, has more than proven his true allegiance to his team over the years.

Aston Villa right-back Matty Cash (pictured) has called Prince William a “proper supporter” of the club. Photo: @mattycash622/Instagram

Aston Villa player Matty Cash said as much when interviewed after a game last October. “Prince William loves it here,” he told The Mirror. “He told us that normally when he’s at home, he’s shouting and screaming at the television. He knows all our names – our nicknames – everything. He’s a proper supporter.”

What is Prince William’s role in football?

Prince William officiating at the Women’s FA Cup final in May 2023. Photo: @thewindsorsfamily/Instagram

Aside from his love of the Birmingham-based side, William is also president of the FA (the Football Association) – English football’s governing body. As a result, the prince gets to present the trophy to whichever team wins the FA Cup each year. He’s joked that retaining a sense of decorum takes effort when watching his beloved Aston Villa.

Prince William (second from right) launching a homelessness initiative alongside Aston Villa player Tyrone Mings (left) last June. Photo: @thewalescambridgesroyals/Instagram

“Since being a dad, football has become way more important to me than it ever used to be,” he told Peter Crouch on his podcast. “I need to be among other guys and let off a bit of steam, shout a bit … not abuse the referee – because I’m the president of the FA and I can’t do that – but in my head I am.”

What football team do William and Kate’s children support?

Prince George is already a football fan like his dad. Photo: @princeofwalesfamily/Instagram

Prince William has said that he hopes Prince George will also be a “Villan” (the name for Aston Villa’s supporters), but that ultimately it’s his son’s decision. “I’m trying not to persuade him to be a Villa fan – I’m letting him choose his own way,” William told Crouch.

He’s also taken Charlotte to games, but it’s unclear yet whether she’ll be as into the sport as her brother.

Prince William

William once said that his school friends were all Manchester United or Chelsea fans, but he was looking for a less ‘run-of-the-mill’ club that would give him ‘emotional roller-coaster’ moments
Aston Villa, one of the world’s oldest, was formerly home to Jack Grealish and just qualified for the Champions League for the first time – so will Prince George and Princess Charlotte become fans?