Prince William could not hide his emotions last night as he watched his beloved Aston Villa make history in the Europa League football final.
The Prince of Wales, 43, travelled to Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday evening to cheer on Villa as they faced SC Freiburg. And by the final whistle, the future king looked completely overwhelmed as his team secured a stunning 3-0 victory.
It marks Aston Villa’s first major trophy in 30 years and their first Europa League title since before William was born.
Prince William celebrates wildly as Aston Villa win Europa League
Prince William has supported Aston Villa for years and has regularly been spotted at matches, including several outings with his son, Prince George, 12.
But royal fans saw a very different side to William during last night’s dramatic final.
Videos shared online showed the prince belting out Sweet Caroline in the stands with friends before erupting with joy as Villa scored. William was seen leaping into the air and hugging those around him as the atmosphere inside the stadium reached fever pitch.
As Aston Villa were crowned champions, the prince also appeared emotional, with footage showing him wiping away tears as he watched the celebrations unfold.
Prince William shares emotional message after Aston Villa victory
Following the huge win, a statement was posted to the Prince and Princess of Wales’ X account.
It read: “Amazing night!! Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club! 44 years since the last taste of European silverware!
“Special shout out to Boubacar Kamara who has been out injured but is such an integral part of our team and helped lay the foundations of this success. UTV! VTID W.”
That’s not royal composure anymore, that’s pure football emotion.
Royal watchers were quick to react to William’s passionate display at the match.
Sharing a clip of the prince celebrating in the stands, one fan wrote: “This is pure passion from the future king.”
Another joked: “Seen enough. Make him king.”
A third commented: “That’s not royal composure anymore, that’s pure football emotion. Future king, current superfan.”
Why Prince William supports Aston Villa
Prince William first developed his love of football during his school years and previously opened up about why he chose to support Aston Villa.
Speaking to the BBC in 2015, he explained: “A long time ago at school I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run of the mill teams.
“I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments.”
And after Wednesday night’s unforgettable final, it’s safe to say the prince got exactly that.
It’s also believed Prince George shares his father’s love of the club and supports Aston Villa too.
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