Aston Villa welcomed royalty as they surged into the Europa League final, with Prince William making no secret of his delight as Unai Emery’s side moved to within one match of European glory on Thursday.
After suffering a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their semi-final, Villa bounced back emphatically with a stunning 4-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest in the second leg. They will now face Freiburg in the Europa League final on 20 May after the German side narrowly overcame Braga.
English clubs will be represented in all three of this season’s European finals in a triumphant campaign for the Premier League. Arsenal will face reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, while Crystal Palace will take on Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League showpiece.
READ MORE: Aston Villa reach Europa League final – 51 brilliant pictures
However, lifelong Villa supporter Prince William was solely focused on the drama unfolding at Villa Park as his beloved side secured sweet revenge over Forest. A brace from John McGinn capped off a momentous evening following earlier strikes from Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia, with the future king barely containing his excitement.
When it comes to his children’s football allegiances, Prince William has adopted a relaxed stance, refusing to impose his own passions on them. Prince George accompanied his father to last year’s Champions League match away at PSG, yet the future King later told TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand he wouldn’t make any demands, reports the Mirror.
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When pressed on whether he would nudge his son towards supporting Villa, Prince William made clear he would not interfere — and this applied not just to George, but to all his children, who would be free to follow whichever club they chose.
“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.”
The Prince of Wales has previously recalled how he grew up surrounded by Villa-supporting friends and was swept along with the enthusiasm. He has also revealed he deliberately chose to back a mid-table side, guaranteeing more “rollercoaster, emotional moments.”
Coincidentally, the 43-year-old was born less than a month after Villa’s last European triumph, when they defeated Bayern Munich in Rotterdam in May 1982, shortly before the late Princess Diana welcomed her firstborn.
Prince William’s first Villa match was an FA Cup semi-final victory over Bolton in 2000, settled on penalties, before the club went on to face Chelsea in the final, where they narrowly lost to a solitary goal from Roberto Di Matteo. More than 25 years on, Villa are set to feature in another major final later this month. Emery will be hoping to claim silverware once again as he bids to win the Europa League trophy for a remarkable fifth time in his managerial career.