Prince William has revealed the reason behind his love of Aston Villa and told how he joins in fan debate by posting anonymously on online forums.
He also described his match day superstitions which includes moving his children around the house to bring good luck when games are not going Villa’s way.
The Prince of Wales said he started supporting the Premier League club after being taken to matches by family friends when he was younger.
During the interview at Villa’s training ground, William, 42, told the Sun: ‘With the camaraderie among the fans and the chanting and the singing, I just felt like I belonged there.’
The future king was at Villa Park on Wednesday evening to see his team qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals, beating Belgian outfit Club Brugge 3-0 to seal a 6-1 win on aggregate.
Villa now face the daunting task of coming up against Paris Saint Germain in April – a trip that the Prince of Wales looks set to join.
William had visited the team on Tuesday, watching the squad in training from the sidelines and speaking with players Morgan Rogers and Matty Cash.
He was seen punching the air during Villa’s round of 16 win, celebrating with his childhood friends Edward van Cutsem and Thomas van Straubenzee.
Villa’s convincing victory received the royal seal of approval as Prince William gave the thumbs up
The Prince of Wales celebrates after the first Aston Villa goal with Edward van Cutsem who spills his drink
William had visited the team on Tuesday, watching the squad in training from the sidelines and speaking with players Morgan Rogers (pictured left) and Matty Cash
Aston Villa overcame Belgian side Club Brugge 3-0 (6-1 agg) in the Round of 16 last night
Wearing an Aston Villa scarf, he told journalists ‘see you in Paris’ as he walked to his car after the match.
Before the game, he said his interest grew when Villa were relegated to the Championship in 2016, a few years after finishing sixth in the Premier League.
‘The rise of the smartphone’ made him even more invested as it became possible to track and discuss a team’s progress all the time, he added.
He said: ‘I’d grown up looking at Ceefax on the television or the back pages of newspapers and if you didn’t have those to hand you were a bit out of the loop.’
William, who is also President of the Football Association, added that he regularly visits fan forums and likes to give his opinions on the club.
He added: ‘I like going on the forums, I can be on there for ages. I listen to what other fans have to say and give them my opinions. I get quite into it, definitely. It’s important to have that debate.’
This is the first time Villa have been in the Champions League and they are targeting the club’s first top-flight European trophy since they won the European Cup in 1982 – the year William was born.
And he is making the most of Villa’s return to European football, having watched his side defeat Celtic 4-2 in their last Champions League fixture in January.
William, who was spotted wearing an Aston Villa scarf, was particularly animated at points in the game
William was overcome with excitement as he watched Aston Villa breeze into the quarter-finals
Prince William is also a regular presence in the Villa dressing room and has attended training sessions on occasion
His eldest son Prince George has also been spotted during games at Villa Park
He revealed his children have Villa shirts, among others, but he is not forcing them to support his team, he said.
‘If I’m home alone with the children, I probably don’t have the pre-match pint but I do have a bit of superstition about where I sit when I’m watching them,’ he said.
‘If we’re not doing very well, I start moving round the house quite quickly and I put the children in different positions hoping that’s going to change our luck.’
He often takes Prince George to football matches and has even admitted losing his voice from cheering Villa on previous occasions.
In January, he shocked Villa fans by buying a round for them as they waited for matchday at a Wetherspoons near Birmingham New Street Station ahead of their Premier League clash with Everton.
He bought a round of beers for eight Villa fans and sipped a pint of Bulmers cider, staying for around half an hour before catching a train back to London.
William also revealed one of his hardest challenges as FA president was consoling players after the Euro 24 final defeat.
‘That was the hardest changing room atmosphere I’ve ever had to walk into,’ he said.
But a World Cup win next year is ‘definitely possible’, he said, praising new England manager Thomas Tuchel as ‘exactly the right person’ for the job.