Prince William punched the air in delight as he watched Aston Villa breeze through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League on Wednesday night.
The Prince of Wales defiantly declared ‘see you in Paris’ after Villa’s convincing victory booked Unai Emery’s side a place in the next round against French giants Paris Saint Germain.
The future King has been a fan of Aston Villa since his school days and attends matches as often as he can, sometimes even with Prince George, to show his support.
William, who is also President of the Football Association, returned to the Villa Park stands to watch his beloved team overcome Belgian side Club Brugge 3-0 (6-1 agg) in the Round of 16 last night.
Villa, who only returned to the Premier League in 2019, now face the daunting task of coming up against Paris Saint Germain in April – a trip that the Prince of Wales looks set to join.
The prince was seen punching the air during Villa’s win last night, celebrating with his childhood friends Edward van Cutsem and Thomas van Straubenzee.
Wearing an Aston Villa scarf, he told journalists ‘see you in Paris’ as he walked to his car after the match.
William is making the most of Villa’s return to European football, having watched his side defeat Celtic 4-2 in their last Champions League fixture in January.
The Prince of Wales celebrates Aston Villa’s second goal during their last-16 clash against Club Brugge at Villa Park
Villa’s convincing victory received the royal seal of approval as William gave the thumbs up
The prince was seen watching the game and celebrating with his childhood friend and fellow Villa supporter Thomas van Straubenzee (left) and Edward van Cutsem ( second from right)
Aston Villa overcame Belgian side Club Brugge 3-0 (6-1 agg) in the Round of 16 last night
He often takes Prince George to football matches and has even admitted losing his voice from cheering Villa on previous occasions.Â
In January, Prince William shocked Villa fans by buying a round for them as they waited for matchday at a Wetherspoons near Birmingham New Street Station ahead of their Premier League clash with Everton.
He bought a round of beers for eight Villa fans and sipped a pint of Bulmers cider, staying for around half an hour before catching a train back to London.
This is the first time Villa have been in the Champions League and they are targeting the club’s first top-flight European trophy since they won the European Cup in 1982 – the year William was born.
TV cameras had captured him looking tense in the crowd earlier in the game, wearing a green jacket and a club scarf.
Prince William, Prince of Wales, celebrates after the first Aston Villa goal with Edward van Cutsem who spills his drink
Prince William was overcome with excitement as he watched Aston Villa breeze into the quarter-finals. He appeared to wipe a spilled drink of Edward van Cutsem’s face
Prince William waves to fans at Villa Park as he watches last night’s Champions League action with friends
The Prince of Wales, who was spotted wearing an Aston Villa scarf, was particularly animated at points in the game
Prince William is also a regular presence in the Villa dressing room and has attended training sessions on occasion
His eldest son Prince George has also been spotted during games at Villa Park
William was dressed warmly on an evening which saw temperatures fall to just 2C in Birmingham.
Villa took a two-goal lead into the match after a 3-1 victory in Belgium in the first leg of the tie.
The game was sealed by two goals from Marco Asensio and one from Ian Maatsen, all in the second half, giving Villa a 6-1 win on aggregate.
William had visited the team on Tuesday, watching the squad in training from the sidelines and speaking with players Morgan Rogers and Matty Cash.
