This week, Prince William and his son George went to Paris for the Champions League quarterfinal between Aston Villa and PSG. It did not go well for Aston Villa, but William continues to worship everything about the team. He even did a TV interview about his love of football and the team ahead of the game. Ever since he was forced out as Football Association President, he’s been spending much more time (in the public sphere) stanning for Aston Villa and attending their games and spending hours on Aston Villa online forums. Often to the exclusion of, you know, royal work. In typical British fashion, people are working overtime to royalsplain why it’s a good thing that William will walk a hundred miles for Aston Villa but won’t walk three steps for a charity.
Aston Villa have a trump card to play when they try to turn the tables on Paris Saint-Germain next week. Standing at 6ft 3in, he has the build of a centre-forward and football knowledge to rival that of the greatest managers. The Prince of Wales cannot be part of Unai Emery’s starting XI, but he will attempt to be their 12th man as Villa seek a performance for the ages to take them into the Champions League semi-finals.
Prince William has good relations with several Villa players, particularly Tyrone Mings, and has been known to address the squad before major matches; notably the 2020 League Cup final, when Villa were huge underdogs but were only just edged out 2-1 by Manchester City. An uplifting speech before the second leg of the quarter-final at Villa Park on Tuesday could be exactly what is needed, particularly with Villa trailing 3-1 to an accomplished PSG side after a difficult first act in Paris.
As well as attending nearly all of Villa’s European fixtures this season, the Prince occasionally visits the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground. The heir to the throne could never be simply one of the lads but he is genuinely popular with the squad.
‘We hear from him quite a bit,’ said Villa defender Matty Cash after the Prince had watched the 1-0 victory over Zrinjski Mostar in the Europa Conference League in October 2023. ‘He comes to training sessions. He speaks to us like a normal guy and we treat him that way when he comes.
‘He likes to be around the lads because he is a massive Villa fan. He knows our names and our nicknames, everything. He is a proper supporter who loves coming to Villa Park. Tyrone speaks to him quite a bit, I think.’
It says everything that William dashed north for a group fixture against a club from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Europe’s third-tier competition. Anybody can attend the big Champions League games against Bayern Munich or PSG but far fewer would choose to spend their Thursday nights watching their side slog it out against a club many supporters had never heard of.
Those who live in the public eye often crave the anonymity the rest of us take for granted and football appears to be the Prince’s outlet. He has admitted posting on Villa message boards (under a pseudonym, of course), met fans for a pint in Wetherspoons en route to their match at Everton in January, and expresses opinions only the true football nut would have.
I’ve often described William as the most passion-free royal I’ve ever seen. He doesn’t enjoy literature, he has no interest or passion for history, he doesn’t watch many movies (pretty awful for the BAFTA president), he’s not interested in anything cultural or pop-cultural, he’s not interested in humanitarian causes, he’s too illiterate to even skim his briefing memos and clearly, he does everything he can to avoid work. But he does have this passion or obsession with Aston Villa. I don’t think it’s some kind of PR move to make William appear more blokeish, more “relatable common man.” It’s genuine. He genuinely spends a good deal of time obsessing over his favorite team, attending their games, and discussing team gossip online, to the exclusion of everything else. The future king won’t read his state papers because user “Aston Peggington” is too busy arguing with fans online.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Backgrid.
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- Paris, FRANCE – Prince William and his son, Prince George, enjoy the thrilling first leg of the Champions League at Parc des Princes in Paris. The royal duo shares a rare public outing at the high-profile match between PSG and Aston Villa. Pictured: Prince William, Prince George BACKGRID USA 9 APRIL 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Prince William and his son, Prince George, enjoy the thrilling first leg of the Champions League at Parc des Princes in Paris. The royal duo shares a rare public outing at the high-profile match between PSG and Aston Villa. Pictured: Prince William, Prince George BACKGRID USA 9 APRIL 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Prince William and his son, Prince George, enjoy the thrilling first leg of the Champions League at Parc des Princes in Paris. The royal duo shares a rare public outing at the high-profile match between PSG and Aston Villa. Pictured: Prince William, Prince George BACKGRID USA 9 APRIL 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Prince William and his son, Prince George, enjoy the thrilling first leg of the Champions League at Parc des Princes in Paris. The royal duo shares a rare public outing at the high-profile match between PSG and Aston Villa. Pictured: Prince William, Prince George BACKGRID USA 9 APRIL 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Paris, FRANCE – Prince William and his son, Prince George, share a moment of excitement after Morgan Rogers’ goal for Aston Villa in the Champions League first leg against PSG at the Parc des Princes on April 9, 2025. Pictured: Prince William, Prince George BACKGRID USA 9 APRIL 2025 BYLINE MUST READ: Best Image / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- The Prince of Wales meeting Aston Villa supporters in a Wetherspoons pub in the centre of Birmingham ahead of an away match at Everton. The Prince spent more than 30 minutes with the season ticket Villa fans, before they headed to the match, after attending the the College of Paramedics inaugural emergency and critical care conference in Birmingham Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: Birmingham, United Kingdom When: 15 Jan 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince William and Prince George watch Aston Villa play against Paris-Saint Germain in the UEFA Champions League at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris Featuring: Prince William Where: Paris, France When: 09 Apr 2025 Credit: Starface Photo/Cover Images **UK AND USA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince William and Prince George watch Aston Villa play against Paris-Saint Germain in the UEFA Champions League at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris Featuring: Prince William, Prince George Where: Paris, France When: 09 Apr 2025 Credit: Starface Photo/Cover Images **UK AND USA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince William and Prince George watch Aston Villa play against Paris-Saint Germain in the UEFA Champions League at Parc des Princes stadium in Paris Featuring: Prince William, Prince George Where: Paris, France When: 09 Apr 2025 Credit: Starface Photo/Cover Images **UK AND USA RIGHTS ONLY**
“ he has the build of a centre-forward and football knowledge to rival that of the greatest managers”
😂😂😂
Ok then, put that theory into practice. Place him on the field or make him a football manager.
Because the heir cannot do anything wrong from global statesman to a professional football player 😂
The most incompetent and lazy Prince of Wales is about to ascend the throne…
Didn’t someone say recently that he’d make a good coach of a second-rate team?
He can’t be both a football manager AND a global statesman.
He neither has the talent nor the ambition. I’d settle for coaching George’s football team first. He has to start somewhere, and unlike the monarchy, results matter in football.
yes, although I think it was said he would even struggle trying to do that but I can’t remember the writer who said it. Started with an S maybe?
@Jais – You’re right about the S. It was historian David Starkey.
‘Starkey said Prince William is “hopeless…nature intended him to be the manager of a second division football team”, adding he’d be “rather stretched at that”.’
😂😂😂😂😂. So being a lazy no good slumlord with no work ethic has now been translated into #1 fan of Aston Villa Peg is a very good thing. 😂🤣😂🤣
They treat him like a normal guy, but if he were a normal guy he wouldn’t be allowed into the training secessions.
That stood out to me too. A normal guy whos allowed in your training sessions? Who gives you pep talks before big matches?
Sure jan.
This guy thinks he’s Ted Lasso.
“It says everything that William dashed north for a group fixture against a club from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Europe’s third-tier competition.”
The same way as it says everything that Bulliam the Incandescent couldn’t be bothered to go to Australia to support the Lionesses in the World Championship Final against Spain — back when he was still the president of the Football Association.
It’s true he was more passionate in that interview than I’ve ever seen him. Which fine. The issue is he doesn’t even have close to that level of energy for anything else yet apparently he’s about a life of service🙄
Right? I saw about 30 seconds of that interview before the game and it looked like I was watching a different man altogether. He doesn’t have any of this passion for Earthshot, for his position as POW, or for Kate. But his Aston Villa obsession actually appears to be real. That’s so interesting.
I know! He seemed to actually have real knowledge on the topic at hand although I couldn’t really understand what he was saying. As opposed to when he speaks in platitudes about a charitable topic that he should know just as much about as he does FB.
I clicked on this article just to say that I think slumlord Willie has found his calling. Sportscaster/Analyst! He actually sounded like he knew something for a change. And was interested in the subject he was talking about.
Its like, yay, he has ONE THING he’s interested in – but its just Aston Villa. Thats probably why being FA president bothered him – he just wanted to be a villa supporter, not have to pretend to support everyone.
It’s just become so obvious this year that he will only work if he gets to go to a football match in exchange. Kind of how Kate used to be with new outfits.
I’m beginning to believe he thinks just BEING is enough of service to the nation.
Maybe they should post his briefings on the Aston Villa forums?
LOL! Link everything to his favourite team and then he’d be sure to show up to do the jobs he’s paid millions to pretend to care about!
His team thought they could get him to work by turning his interests into royal work. Football – President fa. Watching films and tv box sets – BAFTA awards. It didn’t work As soon as it’s work he’s not interested.
Some one needs leak his user name..
I love how there’s a football game for him every time he has to “work.”
Talk about dangling Willie with cheese 🧀
He goes to their training sessions? He clearly spends way more time with this team than is reported. The press protection of him is truly bonkers.
Funny thing is while Charles was in Italy and William and heirs in France, Harry was the most senior royal in the UK for a few days and if there was some crisis, would he have been put in charge of the monarchy?
Princess Ann would be given that role. That was decided after Harry left as a non working Royal
That’s what the Counsellors of State are for. Two of them – Camilla and Will – were also out of the country. The other three in order, according to the original definition – Harry, Andrew and Beatrice – aren’t working royals. The exclusion supposedly because they’re non-working is relatively recent (obviously, there’s other reasons, and Harry was actually still considered a COS at least as of February last year), and is why Anne and Edward were officially appointed as COS a couple of years ago. IIRC when needed they’re supposed to be appointed in pairs, so it would be Anne and Edward.
Gosh! However does he find the time for football what with ending homelessness, being a global statesman, negotiating the end of the conflict in the Middle East, and finding the cure for climate change?! Plus, he’s doing all of that AND vacationing for weeks on end! He’s really quite something, that William.
In my town, we call the rabid football fans “jock sniffers.” Peg is superb at lowering standards, isn’t he? We mustn’t expect great things from Peg.
I meant to say jock licker. Not sniffer. Geez.
So FK is fan boying about his favourite football whilst his brother is in Ukraine visiting war wounded. Only the Fail could gush over Will in such circumstances. He is just not a serious person, very limited and narrow in his interests and compassion for others. Unable at big football matches to even congratulate the other winning team when his own team loses. What a loser compared to Harry.
Haha George does not seem to care as much
I think Aston Villa was chosen for him by Palace staff. Having grown up in KP and then Clarence House it would have been more logical for him to support Chelsea rather than Aston Villa.
I actually read something not that long ago about why he is a Villa fan and it made sense. A family friend who was the one who got him into watching football? Something like that. Because it always seemed super random to me but there was actually reasoning behind it.
I didn’t realize he had to step down as FA president, that’s funny (and is now “patron”? so I wonder if he still tries to count these AV trips as work).
I enjoy my teams and have thought about what it’d be like observing a practice or two out of curiosity but this is a whole other level. And to speak about it so openly as if it’s normal? He doesn’t have time for anything else but makes time for this?
I’ve got a theory about Peg. A nanny whom I used to chat with day to day at the school pick-up, with whose charge my son and I hung out occasionally at each other’s houses, shared an astute observation: kids who act out are looking for boundaries. They are actually pleading for someone to set the tone and draw the line. Not to be punitive about it, not to be dominant, not to be confrontation, but just to be consistent, and clear, and adamant. They want their parents / carers to have the courage of their convictions. I have a feeling Peg’s mother was the only person who tried to set limits, who had expectations, who channeled any kind of authority, apart from the late Queen, who admittedly took a life-affirming interest in him when he was at a very low ebb and tried to guide the lost soul that he was. But at this point, Charles has never had the will or the wish to be a parent, really, to level with him. Whatever moral authority he had, was effectively forfeit. Carole kisses his ass. Kate either rolls her eyes, trolls him, or winds him up. Probably the only solid influence in his life are the older courtiers like Lowther-Pinkerton. But his entire pattern cries out for correction. He’s trolling an entire nation. Someone is going to have to level with him that he’s just not cutting it. He’s begging for a serious intervention. That’s just my two cents. The nanny was British, btw. We live in England, but aren’t from the island.
Too late. He won’t listen. The queen should have told William to back off when he tried to break up harry and Meghan. She ostriches and hopes problems go away
Peg is too far gone for rehabilitation. The signs were there when he was 4 or 5 and the only way Diana could deal with him was to bring Harry’s name up. Peg needed therapy years ago and they did him a disservice by pretending that royals are above therapy. He will be the king, no matter how effed up he is.
As for the queen, she has often been praised regarding her relationship with Harry, but if I were in his shoes, I’d have questions about why she never stood up for Meghan.
William has got to be the biggest loser out here. He is beyond sad