When John McGinn bailed out Aston Villa with a stoppage-time header to edge past Zrinjski Mostar, the man beside Tyrone Mings in the directors’ box could not contain his excitement.
Dressed impeccably in club colours — a navy blue blazer and burgundy jumper over a light blue shirt — the fan leapt to his feet to celebrate Villa’s 1-0 win, their first in European competition proper for more than a decade. Asked for views when leaving Villa Park, he replied: ‘One-nil — always good.’&w=707&quality=100)
A relatively unremarkable scene, until you realised that the fan in question was the Prince of Wales and future king of England, as well as president of the FA.
No fair-weather supporter makes the trip from London to Birmingham on a drab Thursday night in early October for a Europa Conference League group fixture against the champions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They’ll be there for games against Liverpool and Manchester United all right, but Zrinjski Mostar? Forget it.
No fair-weather supporter makes the trip from London to Birmingham on a drab Thursday night in early October for a Europa Conference League group fixture against the champions of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
They’ll be there for games against Liverpool and Manchester United all right, but Zrinjski Mostar? Forget it.
Although the Prince is a well-known Villa supporter, few realise just how big a fan he is. Put simply, he is Villa daft. The posts on the Prince and Princess of Wales’ X account, @kensingtonroyal, are usually of an official nature.
Yet the account reposted Villa’s triumphant message after their record-breaking victory over Arsenal on December 9, complete with a side-eye emoji.
We hear from him quite a bit,’ says defender Matty Cash. ‘He comes to training sessions. He speaks to us like a normal guy and we treat him that way when he comes. He likes to be around the lads because he is a massive Villa fan. He knows all our names and our nicknames, everything.
‘He is a proper supporter who loves coming here. He was in the dressing room before and after the Zrinjski game. He said that normally when he is at home he is shouting and screaming at the TV, whereas at Villa Park he is a bit more calm.
‘I’m sure he was going crazy when we scored at the end of Zrinjski game. Tyrone speaks to him quite a bit, I think.’
As well as allowing him to indulge his love of football, Villa provides Prince William with something he can rarely enjoy. For those who live in the public eye, relaxation time is precious — and few understand that better than senior members of the Royal Family.
Villa’s objective has always been to offer Prince William a home away from home and that is why he attends training sessions as well as matches.
At Villa’s secluded base in Bodymoor Heath, a small village in the north Warwickshire countryside, he can have a low-key day watching Unai Emery work through his latest tactical plans.
