Prince William and Prince George experienced the highs and lows of football as Paris Saint-Germain dashed Aston Villa's Champions League dreams.
The royal pair were spotted at Villa Park on Tuesday night for the crucial second leg, with their emotions mirroring the rollercoaster ride on the pitch.
Images from the stands captured William's initial concern as Villa fell behind by two goals in the first half. However, the Prince of Wales was soon on his feet, fist pumping the air in celebration as Ezri Konsa's goal ignited hopes of a dramatic comeback and a semi-final place.
Young Prince George, sporting his claret and blue scarf, joined in the jubilant scenes, waving his arms alongside his father as they cheered and clapped for the side in Villa Park.
Despite a spirited 3-2 victory on the night, Villa's efforts ultimately fell short, failing to overturn the 3-1 deficit from the first leg in Paris.
The Prince of Wales and Prince George were also at the first leg in Paris on Wednesday, when William told pundits Ally McCoist and Rio Ferdinand that he was “pretty terrified” and “nervous” ahead of the match.
He told them: “I thought, you know what, it’s been 43 years since anything like this has happened in my generation as a Villa fan, and I want George to experience a night out away from home in a big European competition.
“I hope it’s not 43 years until the next one happens, but I think those memories are really important to create and bringing him along tonight is a big deal for me.”
William previously said Villa manager Unai Emery was an “absolute gentleman” and a “lovely guy”.
Discussing the Spanish coach, he added: “He’s an absolute tactician.
“I mean, I try when I get the odd chance to talk to him, to try and take some nuggets of information from him, but he’s very guarded in what he says and how he does stuff.”
William was in the crowd for Villa’s victory over Bayern Munich earlier in the competition and away to Monaco in January.
Villa fell agonisingly short of pulling off one of the great comebacks after they appeared dead and buried midway through the first half of their quarter-final second leg when goals from Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes put the French champions up 2-0 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.
A rousing response saw Unai Emery’s men hit back through Youri Tielemans, John McGinn and Ezri Konsa to earn a 3-2 win on the night, but they fell to a 5-4 aggregate loss.
It ends a memorable campaign, with a famous league stage win over Bayern Munich among many special nights, as Villa harboured hopes of repeating their 1982 European Cup triumph.
