Prince William was at the Parc des Princes on Wednesday to watch his beloved Aston Villa take on Paris Saint-Germain in their Champions League quarter-final first leg, but why he does he support the Birmingham-based club?
The Prince of Wales, 42, was born at St Mary's Hospital in London and was later educated at Wetherby School, Ludgrove School and Eton College, which are all based down south.
His father, Charles III, is also a keen fan of the beautiful game but unlike William, he supports Championship side Burnley.
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Asked to explain his allegiance to the Lancashire club, Charles said: "Burnley has been through some very challenging times and I’m trying to find ways of helping to regenerate and raise aspirations and self-esteem in that part of the world."
A few years back, multiple sources reported that Prince Harry was heard saying "most of the royal family are Arsenal fans" while conducting charity work in New Zealand.
So the question remains – why does William follow Aston Villa when he has no connection to that part of the country? Speaking to the BBC in 2015, the Prince of Wales revealed all.
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"A long time ago at school I got into football big time," he began. "I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Manchester United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run of the mill teams.
“I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments."
He added: “Aston Villa’s always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000. Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea.
“It was fantastic, I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was sat with all the Brummie fans and had a great time. It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.”
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William would later double down on his reasoning for supporting the club. “People like Paul Merson were playing and I thought if people like him can play as well as he does, knowing the struggles he was under at the time. This is a club I can support,” he said.
“I was also born in ‘82, the year we won the (European) Cup, so I feel the history and pedigree around Villa has always been quite close to me.”
William, who was born 26 days after Villa's European Cup final win against Bayern Munich on 26 May 1982, joined Ally McCoist and Rio Ferdinand in the Parc des Princes tunnel on Wednesday to give his take on the game.
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Ahead of kick-off, he impressed viewers with his knowledge.
"So I think we all saw the Liverpool game, and PSG’s intensity. In the first leg, they were unbelievable," he said. "They gave a lot of pressure, they pressed very high. And so I think for Unai tonight, and the team, it’s about managing that press."
TNT pundit Ferdinand was clearly impressed. "Can I just say something," the former Manchester United defender said. "Do not go for a punditry job please, because i might be out of the game. The way he just dissected that there. I may nick that for later on."
Thoughts on William's appearance on TNT Sports last night? Let us know in the comments.
Topics: Aston Villa, Champions League, Paris Saint-Germain
Jack Kenmare