But Villa supporter Prince William was all about what happened at Villa Park as he watched his beloved side take on Forest. Opening goals from Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Buendia were followed by a brace from John McGinn to round off a historic night. The heir to the British throne did little to hide his joy.
Asked whether he would encourage George to follow Villa, Prince William was adamant he would not interfere. Not just in George’s case, he intended to give all his children the freedom to support the club of their choice.
“I’m really open to whoever they support,” he said. “I’m a bit biased but they’re also coming to the Villa game so they’ll probably be rooting for Villa. I’ve left the other two at home tonight so we’ll see who they root for.”
The Prince of Wales previously revealed that he grew up surrounded by friends who supported Villa and was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm. He also revealed that he deliberately chose to back a mid-table team that guaranteed more “emotional rollercoaster moments”, a decision he credits with paying off.
As fate would have it, the 43-year-old was born less than a month after Villa’s last European victory. The team defeated Bayern Munich in Rotterdam in May 1982, just before the late Princess Diana welcomed her first child into the world.
The first Villa game Prince William ever attended was the FA Cup semi-final victory over Bolton in 2000. The match was decided in a penalty shootout and they faced Chelsea in the final, but a solitary strike from Roberto Di Matteo proved to be their undoing.
More than 25 years on, Villa will be playing in another major final later this month. Emery will be hoping to get his hands on silverware in front of a royal procession as he bids to win the Europa League trophy for the fifth time in his illustrious career.
