On the evening of May 20, a very unusual message appeared on Prince William's official social media accounts. "UTV! VTID" it read, accompanied by a red heart and a flexing arm emoji. For those wondering, that translates to "Up the Villa" and "Villa Till I Die." It was not exactly the kind of post one expected from the future King of England — and that was precisely the point.
Prince William had just watched his beloved Aston Villa win the Europa League final, defeating German side Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul. It was Villa's first European trophy in 44 years, their previous win coming in 1982 — the very year William was born. The royal family has deep roots in British tradition, where football has rarely been a priority. But for William, football is everything. Even his father, King Charles III, has made his feelings clear: "My father hates football," William told podcast hosts recently.
William was at the match in Turkey with a small group of close friends from childhood: Ben Dawes, Thomas van Straubenzee, and Edward van Cutsem. These men have been regulars at Villa games with him for years, bound together by their shared loyalty to the club. A family friend first persuaded a teenage William to become a Villa fan, and he has never looked back.
When Aston Villa scored, cameras caught William's reaction — unbridled joy, the kind football fans call "limbs": shouting, jumping, hugging the people beside him. No formal composure, no royal reserve. Just pure happiness.
After the match, Villa club captain John McGinn spoke about their royal supporter. "He's a classy guy. He was in the dressing room before the game and he's a massive Villa fan — he was never going to miss it and it's great to have his support."
But perhaps what impressed fans most was what happened next. Seated just a few rows away were Mat Kendrick and Dan Rolinson, hosts of the Claret and Blue podcast dedicated to all things Aston Villa. It turned out Prince William is a regular listener. He told them he appreciated the "good nonsense" of their show and said he hoped to appear on it someday. "Football fans always like to get one up on each other, and as celebrity fans go we are doing pretty well because we have the future King of England and also the actor Tom Hanks," Kendrick said.
That kind of moment — the future King wanting to chat with ordinary podcast hosts about his team — is exactly why Villa fans feel such pride. It is not a token gesture; it is genuine.
William's passion for the game runs deep. He is Patron of the Football Association and has been in direct contact with England players during tournaments — several footballers even have his personal phone number. If England reaches the World Cup final on July 19 in New Jersey, William plans to fly over as an official FA representative.
For Villa fans, the night in Istanbul was already unforgettable. That their future King celebrated alongside them, without pretense, made it something they will never forget.