Prince William and George cheer on Aston Villa in Paris as strict royal travel rule 'looms'
Their football team may have lost, but they seemed to have a lovely timePrince William attended a key Aston Villa match last night, and this time he brought his eldest son, Prince George.
Over the years, William has quite frequently attended football matches, thanks to his very public love for the sport. Sometimes George would be right there beside him, which was the case on Wednesday night (April 9) for the Champions League quarter-final in Paris.
Their favourite football team sadly lost 3-1, but that didn’t stop the father-son duo from having a wonderful time together. Their sweet moments have left fans gushing.
Why is Prince William an Aston Villa fan?
Prince William began following football in his school days. He told the BBC in 2015: “A long time ago at school I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run of the mill teams.
“I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments.”
There is always a focus on the prince when he attends any event. But when it comes to football, he quite often finds himself on the big screen. This means everyone can enjoy his passionate reactions to the game.
During the match this week, Aston Villa were actually the first team to score, so obviously William and George, 11, were pretty happy about this.
Upon seeing the goal, William leaned over to George, pulling him in for a hug and kissing his head. Then he enthusiastically cheered and fist punched the air a few times.
George himself was evidently buzzing, and couldn’t keep the smile of his face. At one point he even copied his dad by doing his own fist punch.
The beautiful moment was caught on camera, and fans were quick to upload it to social media, where they all praised the relationship between William and George.
Taking to X, one fan commented on the video: “It’s beautiful to see that there is so much love in the Wales family.”
“George will never forget this day with his father. Such a great dad and son moment,” another gushed.
A third penned: “Just a father and son enjoying their shared passion for football. This is wonderful to see. I love it.”
One fan actually saw similarities between George and his grandmother, the late Princess Diana. They wrote: “The last few seconds of George’s expressions were pure Diana!”
Does Prince George support Aston Villa?
The young prince, like his father, is a big Villa fan. He’s attended many games alongside his dad and always looks animated at matches.
However, William recently said he hopes his three children – George, Charlotte, nine, and Louis, six, – will “find their own teams in time”.
He added: “They don’t all have to be Villa fans.”
Prince George’s height leaves fans shocked
On Wednesday night, it was one thing in particular that fans were absolutely shocked at – Prince George’s height. They even predicted he’ll soon be taller than his dad.
In a separate post thread on X, users were surprised at how tall the 11-year-old actually is.
Posting a photo of him standing beside his dad, a fan wrote: “Look at Prince George’s height! He is reaching his father and he is only 11.”
Another commented: “He is growing so fast. I bet at 15 he will be taller than William.”
A third penned: “I think he is going to be taller than his father. Maybe even six foot five or more.”
However, one user wasn’t surprised by his height, recalling that William always used to look tall beside his mum.
Alongside photos of William with both Diana and King Charles, the user added: “Such a flashback to this!”
Prince William’s Aston Villa tradition with his children
It seems he's also got his three children into the sport, and shared a tradition he has when watching matches at home.
Prince William follows Aston Villa tradition with his children
The Prince of Wales revealed "superstitions" he has when it comes to the games he watches. He also shared his "hope" for his three kids – Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.
Speaking to The Sun at Villa’s training ground, Prince William 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.
"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."
Prince of Wales' 'hope' for his children
Meanwhile, revealing his hope for his kids, the prince added: "I’m kind of hoping they’ll all find their own teams in time. They don’t all have to be Villa fans."
When did Prince William start supporting Aston Villa?
Prince William said his love for football began when he was a youngster.
He told the BBC in 2015: "A long time ago at school I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run of the mill teams.
"I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments."
Prince William's passion for Villa has been evident over the years. During a visit to a pub in January 2025, a fellow Aston Villa fan spoke of the royal's enthusiasm.
Steve Jones told reporters after meeting William: "He was fantastic. I was quite amazed about how engaged he was with the club, his interest. He’s not a fair weather fan. He really loves the club with a passion."
Can royal heirs travel together and is Prince George allowed to travel with Prince William?
According to reports, as a general rule heirs to the throne are not permitted to travel together, particularly by air.
This is to protect the line of succession in case of a tragic event. Previous reports suggested that when George turns 12 in July 2025, he’ll no longer fly with his parents and siblings on trips.
Former royal pilot Graham Laurie explained the rule on HELLO!‘s A Right Royal Podcast in 2023. Speaking of transporting Charles, Diana and their young kids on trips, Graham said: “The ones I did [holiday flights] mainly were the ones when the Wales’ went to the Mediterranean.
“But interestingly, we flew all four: the prince, the princess, Prince William and Prince Harry, up until when Prince William was 12 years old. After that, he had to have a separate aircraft and we could only fly all four together when they were young with the written permission of Her Majesty.”
Could this be the same for George this year?
What do you think of Prince William at Aston Villa match with Prince George? Were you shocked at his height? Let us know by leaving a comment on our Facebook page.
