Prince William went through the full spectrum of emotions as he watched his beloved Aston Villa lose 4-2 to Olympiacos on Thursday.
The Prince of Wales was at Villa Park for the first leg of the Europa Conference League and pictures showed him react as the Birmingham side went 0-2 down within half an hour.
Villa rallied to bring it back to 2-2 before the Greek champions moved ahead. At one point William was seen enthusiastically celebrating a goal which was later ruled out for a foul committed in the build-up.
He was also seen talking to friends in a private seating area before the game before reacting and gesturing throughout the first half of the match.
The match was on the same day that his daughter Princess Charlotte celebrated her ninth birthday. None of his immediate family were seen inside Villa Park.
Villa will travel to the Greek capital for the return leg on May 9, needing to win by three or more goals to advance or by two goals to send it to a penalty shootout.
The final will also be in Athens on May 29 with Fiorentina and Club Brugge being the other semi finalists competing for a place.
The Prince told Gary Lineker in 2015 that he supported Aston Villa as he wanted a “middle of the table team” that could give him the “rollercoaster of emotions”.
“Aston Villa has a great history,” he said. “I remember going in 2000 and having a great time, the atmosphere, all the camaraderie, there was something I could connect with.”
Princess Charlotte’s ninth birthday was marked with the release of an image of the young royal taken by the Princess of Wales.
The photograph was posted on the Wales’s official Twitter account, with the words “Happy 9th Birthday, Princess Charlotte!” and a cake emoji. It also said: “Thank you for all the kind messages today.”
Aston Villa fans seeing Ollie Watkins pull one back against Olympiacos 👊#UECL
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) May 2, 2024
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/I2cmY2dnKK
The birthday celebrations come as the Wales family navigate Kate’s treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, with the princess away from official duties since the start of the year.
Charlotte and her siblings, Princes George and Louis, have been the focus for William and Kate.
“The princess said in her video message to the nation announcing her diagnosis in March that the pair “have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family”.
