Prince William was in the stands to watch his favorite soccer team, Aston Villa, in the 2019 EFL Championship play-off final against Derby County. Aston Villa won in a 2-1 victory at Wembley Stadium in London, and Prince William couldn’t contain his excitement.
The duke was on his feet, punching the air in excitement, eventually hugging former Aston Villa soccer player John Carew.
The two watched the high-stakes matchup together. Aston Villa’s victory promotes the team to the Premier League, England’s top-tier soccer league. Next season, the team will play against elite squads like Manchester City and Liverpool.
Long-time fan Prince William was “incredibly excited” about the big game, and said the event would be “a bit of a nervy affair” for him, per The Daily Express .
The Duke of Cambridge sat in a VIP box alongside Carew, the team’s former striker. Carew had reportedly met the prince at a royal event, one wherein the two talked about the team. Carew, who was invited to the game by Prince William, says the prince’s love for the game — and the team — is undeniable.
“He’s very enthusiastic and he really love his football. I’m proud because I’m a Villan and so it was good to watch the game together.”
Kensington Palace, the official Instagram page for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, shared a video of the prince’s celebration to their feed. During the video, it’s clear that the heir to the throne is thrilled about the victory. Even ESPN shared the video.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx-Qjlyn7yB/
On its official Instagram account, Aston Villa reposted the video of Prince William’s celebration, adding a fitting caption which read: “A win that gets the royal seal of approval.”
Comments have since rolled in about the video, with many commenters commending Prince William for being a true Aston Villa fan. Of course, that’s not all fans are talking about.
PopSugar talked about the budding friendship between Prince Harry and Carew, saying “it’s a bromance that they want to see more of.” Since the two are such big fans, the writers of the pop culture outlet are likely to get their wish.
Prince William has been an Aston Villa fan since he was a boy. He has talked about how he came to pick the team as his favorite in the past, per The Daily Express .
“All my friends at school were either Man United fans of 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 rollercoaster emotions.”
As the team lands a spot in the Premier League, Prince William seems poised to see his desires satisfied.