Prince William was spotted covering his eyes and punching the air as his beloved Aston Villa made a thrilling comeback last night.
William watched the European League game against RB Salzburg from the director’s box at Villa Park in Birmingham, where he cheered and revelled in the lively atmosphere as his team scored.
The tense game, which ended 3-2 to Villa, made the Prince go wild as centre-back Tyrone Mings scored a second goal for his team.
He was seen punching the air in delight and chatting excitedly to friends around him during the celebrations.
William had initially watched with baited breath as an own-goal from Victor Lindelof and a second from Moussa Yeo initially put Salzburg 2-0 up.
But he peeked through his eyes as Villa roared back thanks to goals from Rogers, Tyrone Mings and youngster Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba.
Finishing top means that William’s team are guaranteed to play the second leg of every knockout round at Villa Park, where the Prince has a seat to watch in the inner circle.
Prince William has been a long-time supporter of the Birmingham-based club – a rather surprising choice for the London-based royal.
Prince William began the game with baited breath as Villa scored two own goals against Salzburg
The prince punched the air in delight as Tyrone Mings scored a second goal – the equaliser – in the tense match which ended in victory for Villa and celebrations for William
The moment centre-back Tyrone Mings scored a second goal by header, sending the crowd wild
William watched the European League games with pals from the director’s box at Villa Park in Birmingham
The Prince of Wales explained to the BBC his love for the ‘Villans’ in 2015: ‘A long time ago at school, I got into football, big time. I was looking around for a club to support, and all my friends at school were either Manchester United fans or Chelsea fans.’
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Determined not to follow a ‘run-of-the-mill’ team, William opted to support Aston Villa.
In an interview with The Sun, the prince revealed he had a ‘nice connection’ with the club as they lifted the European Cup in 1982 – ‘the year I was born’.
‘I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table, that could give me the more emotional rollercoaster moments,’ he explained.
‘To be honest, now, looking back, that was a bad idea – I could have had an easier time!’
William confirmed that family friends who were ‘big Villa fans’ took him to one of his first FA cup games at the age of 17.
It was the semi-final between the Bolton Wanderers versus Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium on April 2, 2000 – a match that certainly would have set the prince’s heart racing.
The agonisingly close game went into penalties when Aston Villa thankfully emerged triumphant, winning 4-1.
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Prince William was born in n June 21, 1982 – the same year Aston Villa lifted the European Cup
‘It was fantastic,’ the prince recalled. ‘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.’
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Although Villa did not go on to win the FA cup that year, William was not put off.
‘I kept an eye on Villa from then on but didn’t get too involved initially,’ he said. ‘But Villa being relegated to the Championship in 2016 got me even more interested, strangely.’
Since, Prince William has been a regular if anonymous contributor to online discussion sites.
One of the eight Villa supporters to meet the prince at Wetherspoon’s in Birmingham, Steve Jones revealed: ‘He said he keeps abreast of Villa gossip because he is on all the fans’ forums.
‘He goes under different names and he posts on there because that’s how he gets the feeling of what’s going on and what’s the opinion.’
William’s favourite villa player? Paul McGrath – a stalwart defender nicknamed ‘God’ who played for Villa between 1989 and 1996.
The Prince of Wales, who now lives between Kensington Palace in London and Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, admitted that getting to Villa Park ‘isn’t the easiest thing for me’.
But he tries his best to attend all the Champions League game – often with childhood friend Thomas Van Straubenzee as well as William and Edward Van Cutsem.
