Prince William experiences range of emotions during surprise solo outing – photos
Prince William has to be the biggest football fan in the royal family, and on Wednesday, the royal managed to catch Aston Villa's game against Celtic FC in the Champions League.
Like any football fan, William was seen expressing a multitude of emotions as he watched his beloved team play. Ranging from despair to jubilation, the Prince of Wales was seen reacting to every missed chance and goal scored during a thrilling game, which saw Villa clinch a 4-2 win.
William has previously spoken of his love for the Birmingham-based club. Speaking to Gary Lineker in 2015, he explained: "A long time ago at school, I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans, and I didn’t want to follow the run-of-the-mill teams.
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"I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table, one that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments. Aston Villa's always had a great history."
William has closely followed Aston Villa's progress in the Champions League and flew out to Monaco earlier in the month to cheer on his team.
He was joined at the match in the Principality, which finished in a 1-0 loss, by one of his closest friends, Thomas van Straubenzee – who is also godfather to William’s daughter, Princess Charlotte.
The father of three surprised Villa fans earlier in January when he dropped by a local pub, speaking with several who were present.
One fan, Steve Jones, 56, said of the Prince: "He was fantastic. I was quite amazed at how engaged he was with the club and his interest. He's not a fair-weather fan. He really loves the club with a passion.
"We spoke about the club, the transfers, the pending Champions League trip to Monaco, and all things Aston Villa. He asked many questions; he's got a good level of interest."
And when quizzed on his family following suit, Steve said William shared: "Young George is a Villa fan, but he didn't want all three [children] to be Villa fans. He was massively interested and seemed like a really genuine guy, and all he wanted to do was talk about Villa."
