Prince William revealed he wanted Prince George to experience ‘a big away night in Europe’ as the royals attended Aston Villa‘s Champions League quarter-final against PSG.
The Prince of Wales joined TNT Sports pundits Rio Ferdinand and Ally McCoist ahead of the first leg at the Parc des Princes in Paris.
Prince William has been seen watching Aston Villa throughout their Champions League run and was invited to the quarter-final first leg by PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
He confirmed Prince George was also in attendance for the crunch match and explained how the tie would help to create ‘special memories’.
In response to Ferdinand’s question as to whether it was a ‘lads’ trip’, Prince William insisted he was on his ‘best behaviour’ in the French capital.
‘I’m not sure how many Villa fans there will be but they will make themselves well know,’ Prince William said.
Prince William explained how he wanted to make special memories with George as the pair attended Aston Villa’s Champions League quarter-final against PSG in Paris
Prince William joined TNT Sports team ahead of the crunch match at the Parc des Princes
The Aston Villa superfan joked he was on his ‘best behaviour’ for the away trip in Paris
‘I have got my son here too so I am on best behaviour but 43 years since this has happened and I want George to experience a night out in a big competition, those memories are really important to create and bringing him away is important.
‘I am open to who they support, I am bias but they come to games with Villa so it will likely be Villa, but I have left the other two at home probably watching on TV. We will see who they support.’
Prince William, who also serves as the FA president, predicted Unai Emery’s side would secure a 2-1 victory in the first leg to boost their hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
He, however, admitted to being ‘pretty terrified’ ahead of facing the French champions with PSG having impressed throughout the Champions League to date.
‘It has been a while coming so it is a big game, 43 years since this happened, but I am confident and excited by the prospect,’ he told TNT Sports. ‘I am wearing all my clothes and bits and pieces and have done my routines.
Prince William was also seen in the tunnel before kick-off and hugged Aston Villa and England forward Marcus Rashford as the players made their way to the changing rooms following the warm-ups.
He previously explained how he came to support Aston Villa.
‘A long time ago at school, I got into football, big time,’ William, who first visited Villa Park in November 2013, once explained.
He was seen in the tunnel ahead of the match and hugged Aston Villa forward Marcus Rashford
The Aston Villa supporter watched the club’s win over Belgian side Club Bruges last month
Prince William has admitted his children will be allowed to choose their own teams despite his love of Aston Villa
Prince George has been seen during games at Villa Park on a number of occasions this season
‘I was looking around for a club to support, and all my friends at school were either Manchester United fans or Chelsea fans.
‘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 the more emotional rollercoaster moments.
‘To be honest, now, looking back, that was a bad idea – I could have had an easier time!
‘Aston Villa has always had a great history. I’ve got friends who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton versus Aston Villa, it was a semi-final.
‘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.’
Curiously, William’s interest in the club intensified following a downturn in their fortunes.
‘I kept an eye on Villa from then on but didn’t get too involved initially,’ he told the Sun. ‘But Villa being relegated to the Championship in 2016 got me even more interested, strangely.
Prince William visited the team last month and was seen speaking to Morgan Rogers
‘A few years earlier, we’d finished sixth under Martin O’Neill and now we weren’t even in the Premier League. I’m not certain why I became much more interested then, but it might have been due to the rise of the smartphone.
‘I’d grown up looking at Ceefax on the television or the back pages of newspapers, and if you didn’t have those to hand you were a bit out of the loop.
‘But now you can get so much data and follow how your team is doing all the time and there’s so much more discussion and debate. That’s how my passion really increased.’
