I double-checked this because I was like, no, this can’t be correct: Prince William only worked one day this week. On Wednesday, he had an event in London. He visited a greenhouse and barely got any attention. He also skipped his father’s big documentary premiere at Windsor Castle. But Work-Shy Willy still thought he earned a boys’ night out at a football match. He traveled to Villa Park in Birmingham to watch his beloved Aston Villa beat FC Salzburg (an Austrian team). William did not bring his son Prince George, and it looked like William was just seated with Aston Villa’s executives.
Prince William erupted in celebration as Aston Villa came from behind in the Europa League to beat Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg. Following a poor first half, which saw the Prince of Wales side go 1-0 down, Villa then conceded a second, less than five minutes after the restart.
The Villains mounted a tremendous comeback, starting with a piece of interplay that saw England international Morgan Rogers slot home into the bottom-left corner. Twelve minutes later, William’s side levelled matters as skipper Tyrone Mings converted from close range, making amends for an earlier error that led to Salzburg’s initial goal.
Villa’s comeback was complete as youngster Jamaldeen Jimoh-Aloba smashed the winning goal home to mean the Birmingham-based side finished in the top two of the league phase in the Europa League.
The Prince of Wales was seen getting into the action, punching the air as his side scored. William was sitting next to the owner and director of football for the club in a high vantage point. Prince George was a notable absence from the game, having previously attended fixtures with his dad.
The result means Aston Villa finished second in the league phase after their 3-2 victory. William’s side missed out on the top spot on goal difference to French side, Lyon. The Villains lost only one game throughout the league phase, winning seven of eight. The Prince of Wales’s side is having a season to remember, currently sitting third in the Premier League, only four points off top spot.
Again, I don’t think many would begrudge William some enthusiasm for his favorite team, but it’s all about balance and optics. William’s refusal to do more than one work event a week is connected to his ability to drop everything to attend a football match in Birmingham. It’s particularly dumb this week because he also skipped his father’s premiere. Speaking of, there’s a rumor going around that William is mad about King Charles’s documentary because the filmmakers added footage of Charles and Prince Harry fishing when Harry was just a boy. Is that “the reason” why William is in such a snit about Charles this week?
One more story about William: during his one work event this week, a Ubele Initiative staffer named Christina Oredeko told William that she lives in Windsor too and she would love to visit his new palatial estate, Forest Lodge. William responded by mocking her, saying: “Are you inviting your family to stay? Should we talk diaries and work out timings? It’s not the maddest question I’ve ever been asked!” He thought the idea of inviting a peasant to his home was hysterical. Yikes.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images.
