Prince William was pictured raising his fist in the air before celebrating with Aston Villa players in the dressing room. William, a Villa fan, was pictured cheering from the stands during the club’s 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest, which sealed a 4-1 aggregate victory and set up a match against Freiburg in the final on May 20.
Fans were overjoyed by his successor’s lively celebration and took to social media to voice their opinions.
One user wrote to X: “Prince William became mentally unstable when Villa took the lead. Football really belongs to everyone.”
Another said: “Good to see the real passion. It doesn’t matter who you are, you’re happy when your team scores!!!”
A third said: “Gentle. Genuine passion. He’s like all the fans. That’s what we all do when we win.”
A fourth commented: “I love this. It brings everyone together in celebration, regardless of their position. Great job Prince William.”
A fifth said: “So happy that our future king is a passionate football fan. And for the right club too. Great to see.”
A sixth opined: “Say what you want but it’s not a facade. He’s a genuine Villa fan.”
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery confirmed that William took part in the post-match celebrations.
“He was in the dressing room with the players and me. Of course he is very happy too,” the Spaniard said.
William was joined by club ambassador Ahmed Elmohamady at the Villa Park Stand in Birmingham.
A Football Association patron, William is a keen Villa supporter and has supported the Midlands club since he was a student.
He was born less than a month after Villa’s most famous continental success, beating Bayern Munich to win the European Cup in May 1982.
It remains unclear whether Prince will travel to Istanbul for the final later this month.
