The Prince of Wales was joined by Princess Charlotte’s godfather as he celebrated Aston Villa’s historic victory over Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.
At Villa Park, Prince William, 42, was seen cheering and hugging his close friend Thomas van Straubenzee as Villa triumphed 1-0, mirroring their 1982 European Cup final win.
This outing followed a visit with Kate to Windsor Castle, where they met 16-year-old budding photographer Liz Hatton, who is battling an aggressive form of cancer.
Thomas, one of William’s oldest and closest friends from their days at Ludgrove prep school, previously married former tennis player Lady Melissa Percy and tied the knot with Lucy Lanigan-O’Keeffe, a teacher at George and Charlotte’s former school, in 2020. They are parents to Mary, four, and Albert, one, with William serving as godfather to their daughter.
In addition, Thomas was chosen as one of Princess Charlotte’s godparents at her christening in 2015 and gave a speech at William and Kate’s royal wedding in 2011. The van Straubenzee family has maintained a strong connection to the royal family, with Prince Harry also counting Thomas’s younger brother, Charlie, as a friend.
“I’ve Lost My Voice”
William’s passion for football was evident as he watched the Villa match from the stands with Thomas. After the game, William admitted: “I’ve lost my voice. I can’t quite believe it. 42 years.”
Football Legends
Before the Champions League match, William met Villa’s 1982 European Cup-winning squad at the ground, with the club posting on its social media account: “Royalty meets Aston Villa royalty.”
Life-Long Villa Fan
William, who is President of the FA, previously shared why he follows the West Midlands club, telling Gary Lineker 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. Aston Villa’s always had a great history.”
The Beautiful Game
Back in July, the future King was joined by son Prince George at the Euro 2024 final where England lost out on the trophy to Spain.
