Prince William enjoys Wetherspoons pint with Aston Villa fans


Prince William showed his football-loving side by paying a visit to a Birmingham Wetherspoon pub to enjoy a pint with fellow Aston Villa fans ahead of their upcoming match. The Duke joined eight supporters, all season ticket holders, around a group of tables in the pub, before they travelled to the team’s away match at Everton on Wednesday.

During his visit, the Prince sipped on a pint of Bulmers cider as they chatted about their beloved club for around 30 minutes. Although staff at the bar kept tight-lipped about who paid for the round of drinks, one of the fans was quoted saying that the Prince is a “genuine bloke who really loves Villa” and that he had some insights into the Premier League fixture, saying he “thought it would be a tough game”.

The pub trip to the London and North Western Wetherspoon inside Birmingham New Street railway station was organised after the prince asked the football club to arrange a gathering with some die-hard supporters. A sixth form college student from Burntwood, Staffordshire, who was present during the visit, said the Prince was proper down to earth and a ‘lovely guy’ who “loves Villa and the passion we all share”.

Prince William is a lifelong Aston Villa fan and began supporting the club while at school. In an interview with BBC Sport in 2015, he revealed that when he was looking for clubs to support, he didn’t want to follow the run of the mill teams that his friends at school supported, so he opted for a team that was more mid-table that could give him more emotional rollercoaster moments. Earlier this season, he attended the club’s first Champions League home match in 41 years where they beat German team Bayern Munich 1-0 and lost his voice during the game.

Prior to meeting with Villa fans, Prince William was in the city to attend the College of Paramedics inaugural emergency and critical care conference. He has been named a patron of the college. A win in the match against Everton would move Aston Villa up to seventh in the Premier League table, but they will face a stern test against Everton, who are 16th in the league, after the Merseyside club reappointed former manager David Moyes

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