Prince William’s love for Aston Villa was on full display as they reached the Europa League final at Villa Park, where son George has been seen accompanying him before
13:59, 08 May 2026Updated 13:59, 08 May 2026
Aston Villa fan Prince William was in attendance as his club reached the Europa League final(Image: Getty Images)
Aston Villa had royalty in the building as they powered their way into the Europa League final. And Prince William was unabashed in his support for the club as Unai Emery‘s men roared to within 90 minutes of continental silverware on Thursday.
Having lost the opening leg of their semi-final 1-0, Villa redeemed themselves with a 4-0 hammering of Nottingham Forest in the return fixture. Their reward is a Europa League decider against Freiburg on May 20 after the Bundesliga outfit edged past Braga.
An English team will feature in each of this season’s three European finals in a proud campaign for the Premier League. Arsenal will contest the Champions League against titleholders Paris Saint-Germain, while Crystal Palace will meet Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League crescendo.
But Villa die-hard Prince William only had eyes for what transpired at Villa Park as he watched his side earn their vengeance over Forest. Two goals from John McGinn topped off a historic night following earlier goals from Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia, with the heir to the throne doing little to hide his glee.
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As for his children, Prince William has taken a hands-off approach and will not force his own fandom on any of his offspring. Prince George attended last year’s Champions League clash away to PSG with his dad, but the future King later told TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand he wouldn’t make any demands.
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When quizzed on whether he would push his son to support Villa, Prince William insisted he wouldn’t meddle. And not just in George’s case; he would grant all his children the freedom to back whichever team they wanted.
“I’m genuinely open to whoever they support,” he said. “I’m a bit biased but also they come to Villa games so they’re probably going to support Villa. I’ve left the other two at home tonight so we’ll wait and see who they support.”
Prince William insisted he and the Princess of Wales’ children are free to support whomever they like(Image: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images)
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The Prince of Wales has said in the past he grew up with friends who supported Villa and joined the bandwagon. He has also said he prioritised supporting a mid-table team that would assure more “rollercoaster, emotional moments.”
It just so happens the 43-year-old was born less than a month after Villa’s last continental triumph. They toppled Bayern Munich in Rotterdam in May 1982, shortly before the late Princess Diana gave birth to her first child.
The first Villa fixture Prince William attended was an FA Cup semi-final win over Bolton in 2000. They won that fixture on penalties and advanced to meet Chelsea in the final, where they were edged out by a lone goal from Roberto Di Matteo.
A little more than a quarter of a century later, Villa will once again feature in a major final later this month. And Emery will hope to lift silverware in front of a royal procession as he looks to get his hands on the Europa League crown for the fifth time in his career.
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