Prince William was photographed enjoying sweet moments with his oldest child Prince George today, as the pair watched Aston Villa’s fixture against Nottingham Forest.
And the young royal, nine, proved he was a chip off the old block, as he was seen performing the same gestures as his father during the game at Villa Park.
At one point the Prince of Wales, 40, was snapped looking like he was shouting, with his hands over his ears. Sure enough, his son was doing the same gesture.
During another tense moment, the heir apparent steepled his hands in front of his mouth while starring ahead intently. Once again, George was doing a similar gesture, looking ahead in concentration with his hands next to his mouth.
In another twist, which made George look even more like his father’s mini me, the pair were wearing similar outfits for the appearance, both donning pale blue shirts topped with navy jumpers.
Father and son: Prince William attended (pictured, right) Aston Villa’s fixture against Nottingham Forest today with his son Prince George (pictured, left)
At half-time, the score was nil-nil, suggesting an uneventful start. However, the animated expressions shared by the two princes proved the game so far had been anything but boring.
Father-of-three Prince William has long been a fan of Aston Villa, and regularly attends games and other events.
He was the football club’s guest of honour when the ribbon was cut at the new £6million facility in two years ago.
Among the numerous games he has attended was the club’s victorious 2019 play-off final over Derby County at Wembley.
And his interest in football does not stop there: the royal is president of the Football Association (FA) a role he took over from his uncle, the Duke of York, in 2006.
Prince William has taken a keen interest in all aspects of the game, including his support for the men’s and women’s national teams.
Explaining why he is an Aston Villa fan during a 2015 interview with the BBC, Prince William said: ‘A long time ago at school I got into football big time.
‘I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run of the mill teams.
Mini me: the princes (pictured), who are both supporters of Aston Villa, were seen pulling the same expressions during some points of the match
Like father, like son: At another point during what appeared to be a tense game, the royals were snapped screaming with their hands up to their ears
Dramatic: At another point during the fixture, William and George were seen looking dismayed as they watched the action
‘I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional roller-coaster moments.
‘Aston Villa’s always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000.
‘Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea. 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.’
The royals looked somewhat calmer before kick-off, as they were snapped in the stands at Villa Park (pictured with Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow)
Prince William seemed much more relaxed before the game started, smiling, clapping, and chatting
Prince George is also said to be an ‘avid football fan’ and has been seen with his parents at England and Aston Villa games.
George’s love of football has been no secret, with the royal celebrating birthdays with a sports-themed parties at Kensington Palace and William saying he hopes his oldest son will one day be Villa’s ‘top goal scorer’.
The prince’s love for the beautiful game was evident when he attended the June 2021 final of the Euros at Wembley, where England faced Italy.
After joining his parents for the national anthem, George threw his arms out and shouted in pure joy as Luke Shaw powered England to an early lead over Italy in the opening minutes.
But the young royal later had to be consoled when his team lost to the Azzurri on penalties, after being outplayed by Roberto Mancini’s men throughout the second half.
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