On May 20, the Prince of Wales, 43, hit the club after his beloved Aston Villa squad beat German team SC Freiburg 3-0 in the Europa League final in Istanbul. It was an especially exciting night for the team from Birmingham, as the victory marked Aston Villa’s first European trophy victory since 1982.
Prince William made the most of celebrating his favorite soccer team’s historic win in Turkey!
As seen in fan photos shared to Instagram, the heir to the throne was in party mode at a nightclub after the big match.
Swedish influencer Maja Nilsson Lindelöf, the wife of Aston Villa player Victor Lindelöf, also posted a group shot with William to her Instagram Stories from inside.
“Spåra ur direkt,” she wrote over the snap, using a Swedish phrase meaning “Go off the rails right away.”
Prince William is a vocal Aston Villa fan and the patron of the Football Association, English soccer’s governing body.
On Wednesday, he made a quick trip to Turkey to see his go-to team compete and was an emotional fan as they clinched the win. He sat in the stands with longtime friends Ben Dawes, Edward van Cutsem, Edward’s 16-year-old son Jake and Thomas van Straubenzee, who is a godfather to Princess Charlotte.
The prince clapped, cheered, bantered with fellow fans, filmed on his phone and even wiped away tears at Tupras Stadium.
Villa captain John McGinn said that William joined the team in the dressing room before the match began and player Matty Cash revealed that he raised a glass with them after the game, the BBC reported.
“He was in there having a beer with us. He’s just delighted. He’s such a big supporter,” defender Cash told the outlet. “He’s always coming to the training ground, always at Villa Park. And he deserves moments like these and hopefully he can let his hair down today.”
The Prince of Wales and Aston Villa manager Unai Emery also posed for a photo with the Europa League Trophy and shared festive messages on the official social media handles he shares with wife Kate Middleton.
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“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!” he wrote on X after Villa’s soaring win. “Special shout out to Boubacar Kamara who has been out injured but is such an integral part of our team and helped lay the foundations of this success,” he added, shouting out the midfielder who is currently sidelined with a knee injury.
“UTV! 💪🏻❤️ VTID,” he continued, using fan shorthand for “Up the Villa!” and “Villa Till I Die” and signed off “W.”
The future king still had Villa on the brain the next day and posted his own video footage in a rare social media move!
“What a night. Thank you to Turkey for hosting a great final. Incredible atmosphere and great sportsmanship from Freiburg. Enjoy the parade, Birmingham,” he wrote with footage of the team’s flag presentation during the game. “W.”
The Prince of Wales has been a loyal Aston Villa supporter for years and has even gotten his children Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, in on the fandom.
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