Prince William, the Prince of Wales and a lifelong Aston Villa fan, was seen celebrating with the team after their Europa League final victory over Freiburg in Istanbul. The win marked Villa's first European trophy since 1982 and their first major silverware since 1996.
The Prince was invited into the dressing room after the match, where he reportedly enjoyed beers with the players. Villa full-back Matty Cash confirmed the royal's presence, saying, 'He deserves moments like these and hopefully he can let his hair down.' Captain John McGinn also praised William, noting he visited the dressing room before kick-off and describing him as 'a classy guy' and 'just a normal guy.'
Goals from Youri Tielemans and Emi Buendia in the first half, followed by a second-half strike from Morgan Rogers, secured a 3-0 win. William was seen crying tears of joy in the stands during the match. He later posed for photos with manager Unai Emery and Villa director Damian Vidagany, holding the trophy.
On social media, William congratulated the team and gave a special mention to injured midfielder Boubacar Kamara, writing: 'Special shout out to Boubacar Kamara who has been out injured but is such an integral part of our team and helped lay the foundations of this success.'
The celebrations continued into the night, with William also attending an afterparty with players' families. Maja Lindelof, wife of Villa defender Victor Lindelof, posted an image of the Prince partying with the caption 'off the rails' in Swedish. Villa's victory also secured their return to the Champions League next season.
