Prince William revealed why Hollywood star Tom Hanks is an unlikely Aston Villa fan as he talked football fandom with Eugene Levy ahead of a new documentary featuring a personal interview between the pair.
The Prince of Wales praised the side but risked offending Birmingham residents as he joked the city ‘isn’t that sunshiney’ – and revealed Hanks picked the side because of its name.
Speaking in a candid interview with the American Pie and Schitt’s Creek star, William didn’t hesitate to plug his favourite team when the conversation turned to football.
‘I’m a football fan,’ he told Levy.
When asked which team he backs, the Prince of Wales said: ‘I support Aston Villa, you heard of them? Tom Hanks is a big fan.’
‘Oh, maybe that’s where I’ve heard it,’ Levy responded.
The remarks come in a candid conversation with actor Levy, which will be broadcast as part of a new travel documentary later this week.
In the clip released ahead of the show, The Reluctant Traveller With Eugene Levy, Prince William continued: ‘You might have heard of Aston Villa from there.
‘And I love the story that Tom tells about why he suddenly supported Aston Villa because when he was looking for a team to support, he saw the words Aston Villa, and thought that sounded quite like a sunshine nice villa place to go.
‘When actually, if he turns up to Birmingham, it’s not that sunshiney.’
Oscar winner Tom Hanks has long been a fan of Aston Villa and even attended their final game of the season last year, which ended with a 3-3 draw against Liverpool.
‘Good news on the horizon, lets hope so. Up the Villa! Forever Villa,’ he said before kick-off.
He previously told how he decided which football team to support based off of the name alone.
Hanks said he thought Aston Villa sounded ‘like a place you’d go on holiday in the summertime’.
Meanwhile Prince William frequently attends Villa matches and more recently has even brought his eldest son George along too.
The Reluctant Traveller With Eugene Levy sees the actor take a trip to the UK where he is invited on a private tour of Windsor Castle with the Prince of Wales.
The full episode can be seen on Apple TV+ in the UK from Friday.
The conversation came as Prince William offered Levy a private tour of Windsor Castle, the royal home which was especially loved by the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Elsewhere during the interview, William told how he still feels his grandmother’s presence when in the castle.
‘I do miss my grandmother, and my grandfather,’ he says.
‘It’s been quite a bit of change, so you do sort of, you think about them not being here anymore, and particularly being in Windsor, for me Windsor is her.
‘She loved it here, she spent most of her time here. Showing you around today is very much a case of trying to make sure I’m doing it in the way she’d want you to see it.
‘She had her horses here as well, as you can imagine that was a big deal for her so that’s why she loved it here.’
Canadian Levy described meeting the Prince of Wales as ‘one of the most thrilling days of my life’.
‘Prince William was an exceptionally gracious host and I was so impressed with how at ease he made me feel. A smart young man with a great sense of humour,’ he said.