William was pictured pumping his fists in the air before celebrating with Aston Villa’s players in the dressing room. Villa fan William was photographed cheering from the stands during their 4-0 victory against Nottingham Forest, which secured a 4-1 aggregate win and set up a meeting with Freiburg in the final on May 20.
Fans were jubilant with the heir’s animated celebrations and took to social media to express their views.
One user wrote on X: “Prince William goes MENTAL as Villa take the lead. Football really is for EVERYONE.”
Another one said: “Good to see genuine passion. Doesn’t matter who you are, when your team scores you celebrate!!!!”
A third one observed: “Sweet. Genuine passion. He is like all the fans. What all of us do, when win.”
A fourth one commented: “I love this. No matter your status, all together united in celebrations. Nice one Prince William.”
A fifth one said: “Love that our future King is a passionate football fan. And for a proper club too. Great to see.”
A sixth one opined: “Say what you will but it’s not for show. He genuinely a Villa fan.”
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery confirmed William had joined in with post-match celebrations.
The Spaniard said: “He was in the dressing room with the players and with me, and of course, he is so happy as well.”
William was joined by club ambassador Ahmed Elmohamady in the Villa Park stands in Birmingham.
William, patron of the Football Association, is a passionate Villa supporter and has followed the Midlands club since he was a schoolboy.
He was born less than a month after Villa’s most famous continental success, when they beat Bayern Munich to lift the European Cup in May 1982.
It is not yet known whether the prince will travel to Istanbul for the final later this month.
