Prince William is a die-hard fan of the Aston Villa football club, so when he was gifted a Newcastle United jersey for Prince George, he couldn’t help but chuckle and mutter that, “This is going to make my football discussions a lot harder.”
The miniature black-and-white striped jersey featured the number three – Prince George’s position in line to the throne – on the back of it.
Prince William has supported Aston Villa since his school days, and told a BBC presenter in 2015 that he chose that particular football club deliberately.
“I was looking around for clubs,” the Prince said. “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.”
Prince William also told the BBC presenter that one of his first football games was Aston Villa v. Bolton in 2000, and, though the team didn’t win, “It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.”
Back in 2013, during a speech for the Football Association’s 150th anniversary, Prince William, who is the association’s president, told the attendees that his newborn son would be an Aston Villa fan growing up.
The Duke of Cambridge was in Northumberland to view the Great Exhibition of the North when he was presented the jersey by Sir Gary Verity, the chairman of the Exhibition.
The Exhibition was on display all summer and featured “amazing exhibits, live performances, displays of innovation, new artworks and unforgettable experiences in 80 days,” per its official website.
“…I know from talking to the Duke that he is passionate about the North doing even better in the future than we have in the past,” said Verity after the visit.
“We have in him a great ally for our future success.”
