Aston Villa have a trump card to play when they try to make history in Istanbul later this month.
Standing at 6ft 3in, he has the build of a centre-forward and football knowledge to rival that of the greatest managers. The Prince of Wales cannot be part of Unai Emery’s starting XI, but he will attempt to be their 12th man as Villa seek a performance for the ages to overcome Freiburg and lift the Europa League – their first major trophy since 1996.
Prince William has good relations with several Villa players, particularly Tyrone Mings, and has been known to address the squad before major matches; notably the 2020 League Cup final, when Villa were huge underdogs but were only just edged out 2-1 by Manchester City.
An uplifting speech before Villa take the field against the German club on May 20 could be exactly what is needed to give them that decisive edge.
As well as attending European fixtures regularly, the Prince occasionally visits the club’s Bodymoor Heath training ground. The heir to the throne could never be simply one of the lads but he is genuinely popular with the squad.
‘We hear from him quite a bit,’ said Villa defender Matty Cash after the Prince had watched the 1-0 victory over Zrinjski Mostar in the Europa Conference League in October 2023. ‘He comes to training sessions. He speaks to us like a normal guy and we treat him that way when he comes.
Prince William fist pumps after Emi Buendia’s penalty put Villa ahead 2-1 on aggregate
His raw emotion was visible as Villa scored a third goal against Nottingham Forest on Thursday
‘He likes to be around the lads because he is a massive Villa fan. He knows our names and our nicknames, everything. He is a proper supporter who loves coming to Villa Park. Tyrone speaks to him quite a bit, I think.’
It says everything that William dashed north for a group fixture against a club from Bosnia and Herzegovina in Europe’s third-tier competition. Anybody can attend the big Champions League games against Bayern Munich or PSG – as the Prince did last season – but far fewer would choose to spend their Thursday nights watching their side slog it out against a club many supporters had never heard of.
Those who live in the public eye often crave the anonymity the rest of us take for granted and football appears to be the Prince’s outlet. He has admitted posting on Villa message boards (under a pseudonym, of course), met fans for a pint in Wetherspoons en route to their match at Everton in January 2025, and expresses opinions only the true football nut would have.
Many famous people have exaggerated their fan credentials only to be tripped up by a basic mistake.
This will not happen with William. In an interview with TNT Sports before Villa’s Champions League clash with PSG last season, he identified midfield playmaker Vitinha as PSG’s key man and recalled how he had struggled to make an impact on loan at Wolves in the 2020-21 season.
It is difficult to imagine a paragraph on a 26-year-old Portuguese footballer playing in France popping up in Royal briefing notes. That sort of detail is known only by those with a serious interest in the game.
Though he grew up a Villa supporter, the Prince’s interest really developed in 2016, when the club were relegated to the Championship after an appalling campaign.
Prince William and his son George celebrated when Villa took the lead through Morgan Rogers against PSG last year
Prince William visits the team occasionally and has spent time with Villa star Morgan Rogers
It took them three years to get back and when they did, defeating Derby in the 2019 play-off final, there was William embracing former Villa forward John Carew in the posh seats. It remains one of football’s unlikeliest images.
Equally arresting was the sight of the Prince, alongside his son Prince George, punching the air like a true die-hard when Morgan Rogers gave Villa a first-half lead at the Parc des Princes last term.
William also confessed to losing his voice when Villa beat Bayern Munich 1-0 in autumn 2024 – just as they did in the 1982 European Cup final – during the opening phase of the Champions League.
William’s association with Villa goes much deeper than what happens on the pitch, as former boss Dean Smith recalls. Smith lost his father, Ron, during the first Covid lockdown in 2020 and on a visit to Bodymoor in May 2021, the Prince paid a moving tribute.
His Royal Highness addresses the players at Villa’s Bodymoor Heath training ground in 2021
‘He wore the club colours on that day,’ Smith said at the time. ‘We knew he was a Villa fan but until I spoke to him, I didn’t know how much of a Villa fan he was.
‘He was very knowledgeable about everything that goes on at the club and probably wanted the photos with the players as much as we wanted a photo with him. It’s a great thing for the club to have that royal seal of approval.
‘He made a touching tribute to my dad which I didn’t expect. I was surprised but honoured, as were my family. They saw the presentation and heard the nice words from him. I thanked him for them.’
Come rain or shine, William is claret and blue to his core. He could be just the inspiration Villa need as they seek their most memorable result in a generation.
