Prince William rides emotional rollercoaster as Aston Villa makes comeback

Prince William was on a rollercoaster of emotions as Aston Villa faced off against Red Bull Salzburg in the Europa League.

On Thursday, January 29, the Prince of Wales watched from the stands at the Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, as his beloved club overturned a two-goal deficit to secure a 3-2 win and finish second in the competition’s league phase.

Things looked bleak early on, with the future king watching on in sheer horror. Villa struggled in the first half and went into the break 1-0 down before conceding again less than five minutes after the restart.

But the Birmingham side flipped the script fast, and their comeback was sealed when youngster Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba smashed home the winner, sending Villa into the top two of the Europa League standings.

William, 43, didn’t hide his emotions. He was seen punching the air and celebrating wildly from a high vantage point alongside the club’s owner and director of football.

As Patron of the Football Association since 2024 (previously the president for two decades), William has long been a fan of Aston Villa. Notable, the heir to the throne was born 26 days after Villa’s last European trophy win in 1982.

His love for the team has been passed on to his and Princess Kate’s 12-year-old son Prince George, who has previously joined his father at matches. However, George was notably absent this time.