The Prince of Wales expressed his excitement to journalists, saying “see you in Paris” after witnessing Aston Villa secure a spot in the Champions League quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 win at Villa Park.
Prince William, a lifelong Villa fan, was in attendance to see his team advance to the next round, where they will face French side Paris Saint-Germain.
He was visibly thrilled, punching the air in celebration of Villa’s goals and sharing the moment with his childhood friend and fellow supporter, Thomas van Straubenzee, who is also the godfather to Princess Charlotte.
This marks Villa’s first time in the Champions League, and they are aiming to win the club’s first top-flight European trophy since their European Cup victory in 1982, coincidentally the year of William’s birth.
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Earlier in the game, TV cameras captured William looking tense in the stands, dressed in a green jacket and club scarf, braving the chilly 2C temperatures in Birmingham.
Villa had a two-goal advantage going into the match, having won 3-1 in Belgium in the first leg, and sealed the deal with second-half goals from Marco Asensio and Ian Maatsen, resulting in a 6-1 aggregate win.
Just days prior, William had visited the team during training, observing from the sidelines and chatting with players Morgan Rogers and Matty Cash.
Images on Kensington Palace’s social media showed William chatting with Rogers, giving Cash a hug and watching the squad from the side lines with Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, and Damian Vidagany, director of football operations.
The post read: “Great to pop in to see AVFCofficial yesterday ahead of tonight’s Champions League game! Up the Aston Villa!”
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