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Prince & Princess of Wales

Prince William presents FA Cup to Manchester United

The Duke of Cambridge has presented Manchester United players with the FA Cup medals, after their dramatic win at extra time in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.

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Prince William handed the 144-year-old trophy to the England and United captain Wayne Rooney to lift it with his team-mates before celebrations commenced.

Joined by FA Chairman Greg Dyke and other senior officials, Prince William, who is also President of the Football Association, watched on while drama unfolded over 120 minutes, as United beat Crystal Palace 2-1 in a thrilling game.

Goals from Juan Mata and Jesse Lingard cancelled out Crystal Palace’s opener by Jason Puncheon and won United their 12th FA Cup; a record they share with Arsenal.

Prior to the game, the second in line to the throne welcomed the players to the pitch and shook their hands as he was presented to each one of them. He attended a pre-match performance by Tinie Tempah and a rendition of the official FA Cup hymn, before singing the national anthem along with more than 88,000 spectators.

A self-confessed Aston Villa fan, the Duke has undoubtedly been disappointed with his favourite club’s performance in the Premier League, as they ended last and were relegated to the Championship.

Last year, the Prince watched his team suffer a 4-0 defeat in the FA Cup final at the hands of Arsenal.

In an interview with England’s legend Gary Lineker ahead of the 2015 final, the Prince explained why he chose to support Villa over the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.

“I got into football big time, and was looking around for clubs,” he explained.

“All my school friends were either Manchester United or Chelsea fans, and I didn’t want to follow the run of the mill teams.

“I wanted to have a team that would give me more of an emotional rollercoaster, which looking back, was a bad idea! Aston Villa have always had a great history.”

Featured photo credit: World Bank Photo Collection via Flickr