Why does Prince William support Aston Villa?
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'I wanted emotional rollercoaster'- Prince William on supporting Villa
- Published3 October 2024
It was a historic night for Aston Villa as they ended their 30-year wait for a trophy and won the Europa League final in Istanbul.
Prince William was one of an estimated 20,000 lucky Villa supporters in attendance at Besiktas Park to witness the 3-0 victory over Freiburg.
"Amazing night!! Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club! 44 years since the last taste of European silverware," the Prince of Wales said afterwards.
Image source, Getty ImagesPrince William is a life-long Aston Villa supporter
When did Prince William start supporting Aston Villa?
Image source, Getty ImagesPrince William with former Aston Villa striker John Carew at the 2019 play-off final
The prince started supporting Villa during his school days.
Despite attending school in Berkshire, Prince William chose a team further afield as he did not want to follow the crowd.
"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 told the BBC in 2015.
“I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments."
William was born 26 days after Villa's European Cup final win against Bayern Munich on 26 May 1982.
He has spoken previously about the joy he gets from following a club with the ups and downs that Villa have experienced.
“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 (in the final)," he added.
“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 attended the 2019 Championship play-off final win against Derby County and sat alongside former Villa striker John Carew.
"He's supporting us but not just now," Emery told CBS after the win against Bayern.
"Two years ago when we were not in Europe he was coming to our training round, watching the session, having lunch with us. He's very humble with us. We appreciate a lot his visits to us."
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BBC Sport visits Villa Park as Aston Villa welcome Bayern Munich
What is Prince William's role in football?
Prince William was made the Patron of the Football Association, external in 2024.
The role had previously been filled by Queen Elizabeth II - the prince's grandmother - before her passing in September 2022.
Until the appointment, he had held the position of President of the FA after taking the role in 2006.
And the prince presented the FA Cup trophy to Manchester City after their 1-0 victory against Chelsea in the final earlier this month.
Prince William and his eldest son George attended the Euro 2024 final, which England lost 2-1 to Spain in Germany.
Image source, Getty ImagesPrince William with eldest son George at Aston Villa vs Nottingham Forest at Villa Park in April 2023
Image source, Getty ImagesWilliam attended Villa's 2015 FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal
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