William Breaks Down in Tears as Aston Villa Win the Europa League and His Reaction Said Everything About What This Night Meant

May 22, 2026 by apost team

On the night of Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Prince William was not at a royal engagement, a state dinner, or a palace. He was in Istanbul, Turkey, standing in the stands of the Tupras Stadium, surrounded by fellow fans, watching Aston Villa beat Freiburg 3-0 in the UEFA Europa League final — and he was anything but composed.

William, born June 21, 1982, has been a lifelong Aston Villa supporter. The story of how he came to support the club has become one of his more endearing public anecdotes. As a schoolboy, he was looking for a club to follow. His friends supported Manchester United and Chelsea. He deliberately chose not to follow the crowd. "I wanted a team that was closer to the middle of the table, which could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments," he later recalled. One of the first FA Cup matches he attended was Bolton versus Aston Villa in 2000. The atmosphere, the camaraderie — it stuck. He has followed them ever since.

What followed on May 20 was the payoff for decades of that loyalty. Youri Tielemans scored the first goal. Emiliano Buendia added a second before halftime. Morgan Rogers completed the rout in the second half. Aston Villa — William's Aston Villa — lifted the Europa League trophy in Istanbul, ending a 30-year wait for a major trophy. The future King of England celebrated like a fan, not a royal. Because in that stadium, that is exactly what he was. 

"Amazing night!!" he wrote on X afterward. "Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club!"

There was more to the evening than the scoreline.

Before the match, Kensington Palace released William's message to the team: "Come on Villa! Good luck in tonight's Europa League final. UTV! W" — UTV being shorthand for "Up the Villa," a rallying cry as ingrained in the club's culture as the claret and blue.

William had also visited the Villa dressing room before kick-off to wish the players well.

"He's a classy guy. He was in the dressing room before the game and he's a massive Villa fan so he was never going to miss it,"

captain John McGinn said. "He is just a normal guy. It's great to have his support. Hopefully tonight he can have a couple of drinks with us and maybe get his credit card out at the end of the night."

After the final whistle, Kensington Palace published William's message to the club: "Amazing night!! Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club! 44 years since the last taste of European silverware!" He was photographed with his phone out as McGinn lifted the cup, confetti exploding around him. He later made his way down to take a photograph with head coach Unai Emery and the trophy.

Football commentator Clive Tyldesley, who had met William at an investiture ceremony the week before, told the Press Association there is "nothing manufactured" about the Prince's passion for Villa. "It is a genuine link between the royal family and the national sport," he said.

May 20 was the culmination of a long and emotionally invested journey — a night that ended with a European trophy, a photograph with the manager, and a Prince of Wales who, by every account, did not stop smiling for the rest of the evening.

apost.com

Are you a fan of Prince William or Aston Villa? Do you think his genuine passion for the club makes him even more relatable? Let us know in the comments and pass this on to your family, friends, and other royal and football fans out there!