Prince William attended Wednesday’s Champions League quarterfinal first leg between his favourite Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, but why does he support the Birmingham-based team?
The 42-year-old Prince of Wales was born at London’s St. Mary’s Hospital and went on to receive his education at the southern institutions of Wetherby School, Ludgrove School, and Eton College.
Like William, his father, Charles III, is an avid admirer of the beautiful game, although he cheers for Burnley of the Championship.
“Burnley has been through some very challenging times and I’m trying to find ways of helping to regenerate and raise aspirations and self-esteem in that part of the world,” Charles stated when asked to explain his loyalty to the Lancashire club.
Prince Harry was reportedly overheard stating that “most of the royal family are Arsenal fans” when performing charitable work in New Zealand a few years ago, according to many sources.
Therefore, the issue still stands: why does William support Aston Villa while having no ties to that region of the nation? In 2015, the Prince of Wales told the BBC everything.
“A long time ago at school I got into football big time,” he said. “I was searching for clubs. I didn’t want to support the mediocre teams, and all of my school pals were either Chelsea or Manchester United supporters.
“I wanted a more mid-table team that would allow me to experience more emotional ups and downs.”
“Aston Villa has always had a great history,” he continued. One of the first FA Cup matches I attended was Bolton vs. Aston Villa in 2000, and I have friends who are Aston Villa supporters. Unfortunately, Villa lost to Chelsea in the end.
“I had an amazing time sitting with all the Brummie fans while wearing my red beanie. It was amazing.” It was the ambiance and the companionship, and I truly sensed that I could relate to something.
Later on, William would reiterate his justification for backing the team. Given the difficulties he was going through at the time, I wondered if players like Paul Merson could perform as well as he did. “I can support this club,” he remarked.
“I feel like the history and pedigree surrounding Villa have always been very close to me because I was born in 1982, the year we won the (European) Cup.”
Born 26 days after Villa’s victory over Bayern Munich in the European Cup final on May 26, 1982, William joined Rio Ferdinand and Ally McCoist in the Parc des Princes tunnel on Wednesday to share his thoughts on the match.
He dazzled onlookers with his expertise before kickoff.
“I believe that everyone witnessed the Liverpool match and the ferocity of PSG. They were amazing in the first leg,” he said. “They applied a great deal of pressure and applied tremendous pressure. Therefore, I believe that controlling that press is crucial for Unai tonight and the squad.
Ferdinand, a TNT commentator, was obviously impressed. With a “can I just say something,” the former defender for Manchester United stated. “I could be out of the game, so please don’t go for a punditry position. The way he simply broke that down there. I could save that for later.
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