Prince William changed his tune when it came to Prince George’s loyalties
Prince William had a change of heart after previously telling his son Prince George to support any club but Chelsea. The Blues are set to face Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
It has been a turbulent season for Chelsea, who sit ninth in the Premier League, as the club look to round off the campaign with a trophy. Interim boss Calum McFarlane will lead the side at Wembley Stadium after the club parted company with two managers, Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior, this term.
The west London outfit will not be considered favourites against City as they bid to lift the iconic trophy for the ninth time in their history. Prince William had previously instructed his eldest child not to support Chelsea and was disappointed that he initially went against his wishes, though the future King has since shown his true colours by allowing his son to pick his own team.
In 2019, during an appearance on the BBC’s A Berry Royal Christmas, Prince William was quizzed about Prince George’s blossoming passion for football. “I try not to be too biased, I said you can support anyone but Chelsea, so naturally he supports Chelsea,” he said.
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Prince William is a devoted Aston Villa supporter, as evidenced by his jubilant reaction during the team’s recent 4-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park. The 43-year-old was delighted as Unai Emery’s side secured their place in the Europa League final.
The Prince of Wales has attended numerous Villa matches over the years, including their Champions League quarter-final away leg against Paris Saint-Germain last season. He attended the match alongside Prince George, whom he hopes will become a Villa supporter, yet made clear that the 12-year-old was free to support whichever team he chose, representing a change of tone from his earlier remarks about Chelsea.
“I’m genuinely open to whoever they support,” Prince William told TNT Sports. “I’m a bit biased but also they come to Villa games so they’re probably going to support Villa. I’ve left the other two at home tonight so we’ll wait and see who they support.”
The royal had already begun to soften his position on Prince George becoming a Chelsea fan during Frank Lampard’s first spell as manager in 2020. “It’s about finding what fits for him,” Prince William said on That Peter Crouch podcast.
“Previously, I was a bit concerned about him supporting Chelsea, but now Frank’s come in, I feel the culture’s a bit different at Chelsea and I’d be okay with it.
“I do like the values and the ethos of the clubs. I want them to look after the players and set a good example to the young fans.
“I want our children, when they go the match, to come away loving what they’ve seen, enjoying it and seeing their role models behave in a way that we’d all want them to.”
Prince William will have his footballing attention firmly fixed on Villa’s Europa League final clash against Freiburg on Wednesday, 20 May. The Villans stand just one match away from their first major silverware since 1996.
He was spotted punching the air with joy as Villa put on a commanding 4-0 performance against Forest and he spent time with the squad after the final whistle. Villa manager Emery explained: “He was in the dressing room with the players and with me, and of course, he is so happy as well.”
Watch the FA Cup on TNT Sports
TNT Sports broadcasts select FA Cup fixtures and fans can tune in on the TNT Sports Prime Video channel. A monthly subscription also includes select Champions League, Europa League and Premier League games.
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