Prince William Can't Hide His Aston Villa Fandom After a Fan's Three-Word Chant at Royal Ascot
Prince William is a known soccer fan and his love for his favorite soccer team was on display at Royal Ascot on Wednesday.
Prince William plays many roles in his life ― father, husband, son, future king, and an Aston Villa fan. In fact, he is such a dedicated supporter that he could easily pass as the soccer club's unofficial royal mascot. The dormant Villan inside him jumped to the forefront at Royal Ascot on Wednesday afternoon, sparked by a fan chanting just three words: “Up the Villa” ― the club’s famous rallying cry, which prompted a sweet response from the Prince of Wales.
In a video shared on X, William and his wife, Kate Middleton, can be seen climbing into their carriages for the traditional royal procession on Day 2 of the event, when the fan shouted the cheer, instantly catching the Prince’s attention. The surrounding crowd broke into laughter, as the Prince of Wales reacted with a surprised chuckle. “I think people are saying that now,” he told the fan, before asking if she was a fellow Villan. She must have responded positively, as the Prince of Wales then showed her his fist out of solidarity. “Good season”, he added.
This year, after a long 30-year wait for a trophy, Aston Villa won the Europa League final against Freiburg in Istanbul, and William, who obviously attended the game, was seen emotionally celebrating the big win. The very next day, the Prince visited Cornwall on official royal duty, but his celebratory mood hadn’t yet waned. He gave a tribute to his favorite team by wearing their colors during the visit. He donned a crisp blue shirt and a maroon tie in Cornwall.
William started supporting Aston Villa since his childhood days, despite going to a school in Berkshire, and he had an interesting reason behind the decision. “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. I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments,” he had told BBC in 2015.
William’s children also seem to share his love for the game. His eldest son, Prince George, is also a big soccer fan. Early on, the young prince was a Chelsea fan, much to the chagrin of his father. However, over time, he has seemingly switched sides and now supports Aston Villa. The father-son pair is often seen passionately cheering from the stands during soccer games. Unfortunately, Princess Charlotte, who reportedly played soccer in her school, still supports Chelsea, inspired by her mother. Meanwhile, the youngest Wales kid, Prince Louis, hasn’t pledged his loyalty to a single team and reportedly oscillates between five teams at the moment.
Both William and Middleton are big sports fans and have enthusiastically taken part in many sporting events for their royal duties. While William’s love inclines towards soccer, the Princess of Wales is an ardent fan of tennis.
