SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

British Royals

Prince William visits his favourite football team to say thank you for pandemic work

The Duke of Cambridge is shown a police car during tour of Babcock Engineering

Aston Villa’s most famous fan got a personal tour of their new training ground as the Duke of Cambridge popped in to see his favourite team as part of a day of engagements focused on thanking those offering community wide support during the coronavirus pandemic.

Embed from Getty Images

Prince William headed to Villa’s new Bodymoor Heath Training Ground on May 4th for a tour of the brand new facilities there. William officially opened the ground, which has been designed to support elite performance, and met many of the team’s players who took to social media afterwards to share images of themselves with the prince.

Embed from Getty Images

The Duke of Cambridge also met those involved with three community initiatives run by the club as he heard about its ongoing work to support the local area as the pandemic continues. He was given an overview of the work of Villa Vision, an eye health initiative run by the club, as well as the reach of TeamWork which focuses on bringing the team’s fans together with the wider community to promote better physical and mental health. Prince William also spoke to those involved in Villa Kitchen, a programme which provides around 1,000 hot meals a week to vulnerable people in the local community.

Embed from Getty Images

Support during the pandemic was also the focus of William’s second visit of the day. The prince headed to Babcock Engineering in Walsall to see some of their work in the production of vehicles for the police service. William also heard about the processes put in place to ensure the company could keep going during lockdowns as well as the part the firm played in designing ventilators for the NHS during the pandemic.

William’s visit to Aston Villa came just days after he joined a social media boycott in protest against all forms of social media abuse. The boycott ran from April 30th until May 3rd 2021.

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.