Aston Villa are flying on the back of their royal seal of approval! Prince William is a ‘real fan’ who knows the players’ nicknames and often appears at the training ground

When John McGinn put Aston Villa out with an injury-time header to pass Zrinjski Mostar, the man next to Tyrone Mings in the director’s box couldn’t contain his excitement.

Immaculately dressed in the club colors – a navy blue blazer and a burgundy jumper over a light blue shirt – the fan jumped to his feet to celebrate Villa’s 1-0 win, their first in European competition for more than a decade. When asked for his opinion as he left Villa Park, he replied: ‘One zero, always good.’

A relatively unremarkable scene, until you realized that the fan in question was the Prince of Wales and future King of England, as well as President of the FA.

Not a single fair-weather fan makes the journey from London to Birmingham on a dull Thursday evening in early October for a Europa Conference League group match against the champions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

They’ll be there for games against Liverpool and Manchester United, okay, but Zrinjski Mostar? Never mind.

The Prince of Wales is a known Aston Villa fanatic and has visited the training ground

Unai Emery’s side have enjoyed a fantastic first half of the 2023/24 season so far

Although the Prince is a well-known Villa supporter, few realize how big a fan he is. Simply put: he is Villa crazy. The messages on the Prince and Princess of Wales’s X account, @kensingtonroyal, are mostly of an official nature.

Still, the account reposted Villa’s triumphant message after their record-breaking win over Arsenal on December 9, complete with a side-eye emoji.

“We hear quite a bit from him,” defenseman Matty Cash said. ‘He comes to training. He speaks to us like a normal boy and we treat him that way when he comes. He likes being with the boys because he is a big Villa fan. He knows all our names and our nicknames, everything.

‘He is a real supporter who likes to come here. He was in the locker room before and after the match against Zrinjski. He said that normally when he is at home he yells and screams at the TV, while at Villa Park he is a bit quieter.

‘I’m sure he went crazy when we scored at the end of the match against Zrinjski. Tyrone talks to him a lot, I think.”

Not only does Villa allow him to express his love of football, but it also offers Prince William something he rarely gets to enjoy. For those in the public eye, relaxation time is precious – and few understand that better than senior members of the royal family.

Villa’s aim has always been to provide Prince William with a home away from home and that is why he attends both training and matches.

At Villa’s remote base in Bodymoor Heath, a small village in rural North Warwickshire, he can have a quiet day watching Unai Emery work on his latest tactical plans.

He was also involved in one of football’s more unusual photos, when he hugged ex-Villa striker John Carew at Wembley as Villa won the 2019 Championship play-off final, sealing promotion to the Premier League. Future king and barnstorming centre-forward united in joy.

Dean Smith was Villa manager at the time and was again impressed by the Prince’s knowledge of the club when he opened a performance center at Bodymoor Heath in May 2021.

Smith had lost his father, Ron, during the first Covid lockdown in 2020 and Prince William paid a moving tribute. “He was wearing the club colors that day,” Smith said. ‘We know he’s a Villa fan, but before I spoke to him I didn’t know how much of a Villa fan he was!

Royal Baby Merchandise pictured in Villa Park following the announcement that Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge had given birth to a baby girl

‘He was very well informed about everything going on at the club and was probably as keen to have pictures of the players as we were to have pictures with him. It’s great for the club to have that royal seal of approval.

‘He paid a moving tribute to my father, which I did not expect. I was surprised but honored, just like my family who saw the presentation and his very nice words for which I thanked him.’

Smith had already witnessed the impact the prince could make when he visited Villa’s dressing room at Wembley before the 2020 Carabao Cup final.

Most expected Villa to be easily beaten by Manchester City, but after ‘a little pep talk about the history of the club’ from the prince, they gave Pep Guardiola’s side a run for their money and ultimately lost 2-1.

For a club that only retained Premier League status on the final day of that season, it was a tough effort.

When the prince spoke to the BBC in 2015 about his love for Villa, he said he chose them because: ‘I didn’t really want to follow the everyday teams, and I wanted to have a team that was more in the middle of the table , which could give me the more emotional rollercoaster moments.

“Honestly, looking back on it now, that was a bad idea! I could have had it easier.’

The prince could hardly be happier with his team right now. Emery can guide Villa to the top tonight with victory over Sheffield United.

Like Smith, Emery was immediately impressed by the prince’s knowledge of the game when the pair met last March. ‘The best thing for Villa is that he shares his passion for football with us; he has a genuine passion for Aston Villa,” said Emery.

‘He likes to talk about football and we have talked a lot about my career as a coach and as a player. We had a good time together. We can all be very proud to have him as a supporter.’

When Prince George and Princess Charlotte headed to Carrow Road with their parents for Villa’s 5-1 win over Norwich in October 2019, Prince William appeared to encourage his son to tone down his celebrations. They were sitting among the home fans.

But if Villa really do exceed expectations and win their first title since 1981, even the Prince of Wales himself will struggle to keep his cool.