Prince William didn’t do much of anything last week. He had one semi-public event in Birmingham, where he opened up a men’s mental health center. He also had a private event at Windsor Castle. One could argue that he was trying not to pull focus from his wife, who took a whirlwind trip to Italy mid-week. But we know better – we know that getting William to do two events a week is probably like pulling teeth, and he had to be begged to leave the house. So, quelle surprise, William managed to leave the house on a Saturday!! It was obviously because of football – he attended the FA Cup final, where Man City beat Chelsea. According to the Sun, William had to get special permission from his wife to attend two football games in five days’ time.
Prince William has got a pass from wife Kate to attend two huge footie matches in the same week. Aston Villa fan Wills is at today’s FA Cup final between Chelsea and Man City as FA patron.
The Prince of Wales then faces the logistical challenge of making Villa’s Europa League decider with German side Freiburg — which kicks off in Istanbul, Turkey, at 8pm on Wednesday. The 3,900-mile round trip requires two four-hour flights. Wills may have to cut short any celebrations as he is due in Cornwall for engagements hours later.
A royal source said: “We’re working hard to make it work if we can. It’s definitely not one he’s going to miss.”
The clash is Villa’s first European final since they beat Bayern Munich to win the European Cup in 1982. Fans snapped up their 10,758-ticket allocation in the 44,000-seater stadium within hours. Thousands more are expected to travel to Istanbul anyway for the game.
Few people would begrudge William enjoying a football game and/or supporting his favorite team if he actually worked hard and had regular events most days. But it feels like he’s just sleepwalking through two “work” events a week just to bide his time between football games. It’s also funny that William is perfectly capable of flying thousands of miles to support Aston Villa for fun, but he refused to fly to Australia in 2023 to support the Lionesses when they made it to the Women’s World Cup final… and that was back when he was the actual FA President too. Now his position has been downgraded to FA patron. Anyway, water is wet, William only shows up for men’s football.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Getty Images.
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- Chelsea v Manchester City FA Cup Final, Football, Wembley Stadium, London, UK – 16 May 2026 His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales shakes hands with the teams prior to kick off. London Wembley Stadium London UK, UK NEWSPAPERS OUT Copyright: xSeanxRyanx,Image: 1099482979, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no , Credit line: IMAGO/Sean Ryan/Avalon
