A delighted Prince William chats with Aston Villa players

Meeting his sporting heroes! Delighted Aston Villa fan Prince William chats with players as he visits his team’s new performance centre in Warwickshire

  • Prince William appeared delighted today as he visited Aston Villa’s new centre 
  • Duke of Cambridge has supported the Birmingham-based team since childhood
  • The royal was seen chatting and laughing with players at the training ground 

Prince William appeared delighted today as he visited Aston Villa’s new state-of-the-art high performance centre.

The Duke of Cambridge, 38, who has supported the Birmingham-based team since childhood, was seen chatting and laughing with players at the training ground in Warwickshire.

A beaming William heard about the Premier League club’s community outreach programme and the work they’ve done during the pandemic.

The father-of-three was the guest of honour as the ribbon was cut on the new £6million facility at Bodymoor Heath Training Centre in Bodymoor Heath.


Prince William appeared delighted today as he visited Aston Villa’s new state-of-the-art high performance centre (pictured)

The Duke of Cambridge, 38, who has supported the Birmingham-based team since childhood, was seen chatting and laughing with players at the training ground in Warwickshire (pictured)

A beaming William heard about the Premier League club’s community outreach programme and the work they’ve done during the pandemic

He heard how the club has opened its facilities for antenatal clinics, run by the Birmingham and Sandwell NHS Trust, while also meeting representatives from Villa Kitchen, which provides 1000 hot meals each week for local organisations.

William, sporting the club’s colours in a navy suit and claret jumper, along with a blue mask, appeared in great spirits as he chatted to first team players, such as captain Jack Grealish, while at the grounds.

A spokesman for Aston Villa said: ‘The Duke was given a tour of the new building before hearing more about the Aston Villa Foundation’s Community Outreach and Support programmes, meeting representatives from initiatives like Villa Vision, TeamWork and Villa Kitchen.

‘The Duke was also introduced to those involved in the antenatal clinics from the Birmingham and Sandwell NHS Trust, who made use of facilities at Villa Park during the pandemic.’ 

The father-of-three was the guest of honour as the ribbon was cut on the new £6million facility at Bodymoor Heath Training Centre in Bodymoor Heath

Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, unveils a plaque, during a visit to Aston Villa High Performance Centre at Bodymoor Heath Training Centre in Bodymoor Heath

The royal heard how the club has opened its facilities for antenatal clinics, run by the Birmingham and Sandwell NHS Trust, while also meeting representatives from Villa Kitchen, which provides 1000 hot meals each week for local organisations

Prince William is president of the Football Association (FA) and took over the role from his uncle, the Duke of York, in 2006.

The Duke has taken a keen interest in all aspects of the game, including his support for the men’s and women’s national teams.

He previously spoke out about why he is a fan of the club, and told the BBC in a 2015 interview: ‘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.

William (pictured), sporting the club’s colours in a navy suit and claret jumper, along with a blue mask, appeared in great spirits as he chatted to first team players, such as captain Jack Grealish, while at the grounds

The Duke of Cambridge meets Guy Rippon, head of the Aston Villa Foundation, during his visit to the centre today

Prince William (pictured) is president of the Football Association (FA) and took over the role from his uncle, the Duke of York, in 2006

The Duke of Cambridge is welcomed by Aston Villa’s CEO Christian Purslow, right, during a visit to Aston Villa High Performance Centre

‘I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional roller-coaster moments.

‘Aston Villa’s always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000. Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea.

‘It was fantastic, I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was sat with all the Brummie fans and had a great time. It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.’ 

Over the weekend, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined a nationwide boycott of social media over online racism and abuse linked to sport.

Over the weekend, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge joined a nationwide boycott of social media over online racism and abuse linked to sport. The future king tweeted the decision on his official Kensington Royal Twitter feed 

William and Kate backed football clubs, players and other sporting bodies in a four-day absence from Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

The couple had planned to share content online over the weekend to mark their daughter Princess Charlotte’s sixth birthday on Sunday.

The aim of the protest – revealed in Sportsmail – is to persuade the tech giants to take a stronger stance against racist and sexist abuse by users of the platforms.

The future king tweeted the decision on his official Kensington Royal Twitter feed, saying: ‘As President of the FA [Football Association] I join the entire football community in the social media boycott this weekend. W.’ 

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