He's known for having a love of football and watching a game or two - but what football team does Prince William support? We reveal all.
Everyone's got their sport of choice - and that includes the royals too. With Princess Anne known for her love of horse-riding and Prince Harry a dab hand on the polo field. However, when it comes to the future king of England, his passions are notably aligned to that of the football pitch.
William's special gesture to the England team after the Euros 2020 final is just one public display of the Duke's love of the game. And when he isn't cheering on England, the dad-of-three is a huge fan of this Premier League football club...
What football team does Prince William support?
Prince William supports Aston Villa and has been a lifelong supporter of the Birmingham based football team.
The second-in-line to the throne has been spotted supporting his team at both home and away games. And he is no stranger to the stands at their Villa Park stadium - where he has been known to don a Villa scarf and hat on occasion.
Most recently, he joined CEO of Aston Villa Christian Purslow for a match against Chelsea, where his team lost 4-3 in a tense penalty shoot-out.
Why does Prince William support Aston Villa?
Prince William told BBC football pundit Gary Linekar that he chose to support Aston Villa at school because he didn't want to "follow the run of the mill teams".
The 39-year-old "got into football big time" at school and though his friends were either Man United or Chelsea fans, he wanted to support a club that were different.
"I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments," he said. "Aston Villa’s always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000. Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea."
Prince William opened up more about his first Villa match experience whilst appearing on That Peter Crouch Podcast in 2020.
He told the former footballer that he was 11 when he attended the Bolton v Aston Villa match. And that his support for the team was cemented there and then.
"I sat there among all the Villa fans and I loved it and thought the atmosphere was great," Prince William told Peter Crouch. "I felt a real connection with the club and I felt Villa was a very proud Midlands club and it felt very special."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpUyNyeTM9A
William also appears to know his club stats too. Former Villa manager Steve Bruce was impressed with the royal's football knowledge when they met in November 2017.
"He introduced Kate to me as the 'top man'," he said. "He talked about the squad and how we have turned it around a little bit. He’s delighted we are moving it forward.
"It’s not often you have the future King as a supporter so it’s great for the club," Bruce added.
Indeed, Aston Villa have revelled in William's support. In the past they've wished him a Happy Birthday via their social media platforms.
William was also chosen to open Villa's new training facility in May 2021.
The dad-of-three was on to unveil the new performance centre. He also heard all about the club's community outreach programme and the work they had done during the pandemic.
During the visit, he was seen chatting to some of Villa's star players. Some of which included midfielder Ross Barkley and former club captain Jack Grealish.
What's Prince William's role in the FA?
Prince William has been President of the Football Association (FA) for the past 15 years.
The royal took over the role in May 2006. And it's something he takes seriously, being a regular at the FA Cup final, where he hands the cup to the winning team.
The future king has also used his position to publicly condemn racism in Football.
Following England's defeat in the finals of the Euros 2020, William criticised racist abuse that was aimed at certain players on twitter.
In April this year, he also joined a four-day boycott of social media as a stand against online hate.
"As President of the FA I join the entire football community in the social media boycott this weekend. W," he tweeted.
Mental health in football has been another initiative the Duke of Cambridge has advocated for in his role.
In May 2020, William took part in a special BBC documentary titled Prince William, Football, and Mental Health.
The programme followed the dad-of-three over the course of the year. Where he chatted to players, managers and football fans about the sport and their mental wellbeing.
It was produced as part of the Heads Up campaign, a cause spearheaded by the Duke. Its aim is to "harness the influence and popularity of football to help show the nation that we all have mental health and it is just as important as physical health."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brJfDn3IuBA
What football team does Kate Middleton support?
Whilst William is a Villa fan, his wife Kate is said to be a Chelsea supporter.
The Duchess of Cambridge allegedly revealed herself as a fan of the West London based club in 2015.
Kate appeared at the Anna Freud Centre in Islington, where she got chatting to eight-year-old Rjay Bryan.
"We high fived because she supports Chelsea and I support Chelsea," he shared. "I love people who support Chelsea."
What football team do Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis support?
It seems that Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis all support Aston Villa.
The Queen's great grandchildren support the same football team as that dad Prince William supports. And royal fans were delighted to see Prince George and Princess Charlotte make an appearance at a Villa game in October 2019.
At the Villa v Norwich City game, Prince George was seen punching his fist in the air as Aston Villa scored their fourth goal.
Prince George and William also celebrated an Aston Villa win against West Ham in 2020. The father son duo were spotted in the stands at what was Prince George's first football match.
The young prince also caused a stir supporting England at the Euro 2020s. A video of Prince George at Wembley saw the eight-year-old go crazy when Luke Shaw scored the first goal in the Euros final.
Prince William also revealed George's favourite song as the England football anthem Three Lions by Frank Skinner and David Baddiel.
The Duke told Frank at an event in 2019: "I listen to your song every morning. Honestly, George plays it every morning ever since the World Cup. I thought it would fade away but it hasn’t. He still plays it every day."
Prince George's pride for the England team was also made public during photos for his sixth birthday in 2019.
The photos were taken by mum Kate at their Kensington Palace home during the Women's world cup.
As for an Aston Villa shirt, the club have sent all 3 of William's children a top when they were born.
In 2013, the Birmingham club congratulated William and Kate on the birth of their son George with a message on their website.
"Villa would like to extend congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on the arrival of their baby boy," the message read. "The Duke is a huge Villa fan and it is hoped that his new son will be brought up in the claret and blue tradition. As a birthday present, Villa chiefs have sent the 8lbs 6oz tot a new kit with the appropriate letters 'HRH' and the number '1' on the back."
