Prince William and Prince George with Thomas van Straubenzee to watch Aston Villa play Paris Saint-Germain
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It’s little secret that Prince William is a devout football fan who has supported his favourite team, Aston Villa, for most of his life – and now, he has encouraged his son, Prince George, to share in his passion. The father-son duo filed into the stands at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris to watch Aston Villa compete against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League, with William even telling a sports TV channel that he was ‘pretty terrified’ but ‘wearing all his lucky clothes’. Sadly, that wasn’t enough to secure a win for Aston Villa, who lost 3-1 to the French side – but royal watchers were delighted all the same to see him hugging George as they cheered their team on.
Two close friends were also there to join in this bout of family bonding: Thomas van Straubenzee and William van Cutsem, both keen Aston Villa supporters themselves and key members of the Wales’ inner circle. Princes William and Harry have known Thomas and his brother, Charlie, since they were children, and attended Ludgrove prep school together. Both brothers acted as ushers at Harry’s wedding to Meghan Markle, while Charlie gave a speech at William’s wedding in 2011; Harry, meanwhile, was best man when Charlie married Daisy Jenks in 2018. Charlie is godfather to Harry’s eldest child, Archie, while William is godfather to Thomas’ daughter, Mary; Thomas is godfather to the Wales’ only daughter, Princess Charlotte.
The group were joined by William van Cutsem (left), Prince George’s godfather, at the important match
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