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British Royals

Prince William meets footballing royalty on a big night for his favourite team

The Prince of Wales was on hand to cheer on his favourite team, Aston Villa, as they enjoyed one of their biggest matches in years.

For the first time since it was created in 1992, Aston Villa played in the Champions’ League, with anticipation high ahead of kick off.

The Champions’ League replaced the European Cup over thirty years ago but Villa’s last moment of glory in that competition took place before then. They won the European Cup in 1982, the year their royal fan was born. And ahead of the latest big match, the heir to the throne met the kings of continental football from 42 years ago.

The 1982 winning side was at Villa Park to wish the latest team good luck and also found themselves chatting with the super fan that is Prince William.

As is expected now, the official social media feeds of the Prince and Princess of Wales went claret and blue for the duration as William wished his favourites luck.

His hopes for success came true. Aston Villa enjoyed one of their most famous nights in recent history as they beat European giants, Bayern Munich, 1-0.

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.