Football fans understand the frustration of receiving an important call or message during a tense match, and royalty is no exception. Prince William, 43, earned praise as a 'true fan' of Aston Villa after a video showed him rejecting a phone call to continue filming his team celebrating their 'surreal' Europa League final victory.
Relatable Royal Moment
In a humorous social media clip on X, the heir to the throne attempted to zoom in on the squad using his camera app before being interrupted by an incoming call. Without hesitation, the devoted Villan swiped the call away to return to filming. 'Do not call Prince William when he’s busy filming Aston Villa lifting the trophy,' the caption read.
Royal well-wishers appreciated the relatable moment. One wrote, 'Haha, priorities! Prince William ignoring the call like the rest of us when our team finally wins something big.' Another added, 'Aston Villa ending the drought in style even royalty couldn’t look away.' A third commented, 'He has enough passion for the game - Villa are really lucky.'
Sharing the Celebration
The royal had a reason for filming: the footage later appeared on his and Kate's Instagram account. 'What a night,' William wrote, sharing the video. 'Thank you to Turkey for hosting a great final. Incredible atmosphere and great sportsmanship from Freiburg. Enjoy the parade, Birmingham. W.'
The Prince of Wales was caught up in the festivities on Wednesday, embracing fellow fans and joking about dancing in the fountains. He eagerly involved other supporters, beckoning them over after celebrating with his own group. Hours later, he arrived at royal duties in Cornwall wearing sunglasses and apologizing for losing his voice.
Post-Match Encounters
After the game, two fans, Mat Kendrick and Dan Rolinson of the Claret & Blue Podcast, shared a moment with William. Footage shows Mat and the Prince hugging and slapping each other on the back as William declared, 'What an amazing night.' When Mat mentioned the pitch invasion, William said, 'I was tempted to go down there, but I thought, "Let's let everyone else have their moment." This is about the players, the team and the fans. This is really important.'
Dan jokingly asked if they would go dancing in the fountains together. William laughed and replied, 'You lead the way, mate. I'll follow you.'
Celebrating with Friends
William spent the first moments after the final whistle with his 'band of brothers,' including Ben 'Dawesey' Dawes, Thomas van Straubenzee, and Edward van Cutsem. Sandwiched between the van Cutsems, he joined the crowd in a rendition of Sweet Caroline. In a playful moment, Edward and his son Jake chatted with the future king before patting him on the head. Edward, a godson of King Charles III, has known William for years.
The Aftermath
The Prince paid the price for his wild night in Istanbul on Thursday, arriving for engagements in Cornwall with a lost voice. Wearing a blue shirt and claret tie in honor of his childhood team, he was 40 minutes late and joked about not talking about the victory all day.
