Prince William tries to bring Villa luck with odd match day ritual using his kids

Prince William has spoken about his long obsession with Aston Villa as well as his favourite players, managers, and even his match day superstitions to make sure his team wins

Prince William was seen celebrating with Aston Villa fans on Wednesday, as the heir to the throne's favourite team made it through to the quarterfinal of the Champions League for the first time. Amid his team's success, the lifelong Villa fan has opened up about the depths of his obsession.

The royal even has a few odd superstitions and match-day rituals to try and help Aston Villa win a match, including telling his children where they can sit. 42-year-old William has followed the Midlands team since he was a boy, forming an interest after friends took him to see a game.

But it wasn't until later in life that he began to follow the team in earnest and develop a "sense of belonging", the prince said to the Sun. His interest in the minutiae of everything Villa blossomed In 2016, as they were being relegated.

He told the publication: “There were a few moments that happened. I had some family friends who took me to my first Villa game when I was younger because they are big Villa fans."

He continued: “It was against Bolton and I sat in the stands with my Villa beanie hat on and I remember Paul Merson was playing for Villa at the time. With the camaraderie among the fans and the chanting and the singing, I just felt like I belonged there.

“I kept an eye on Villa from then on but didn’t get too involved initially. But Villa being relegated to the Championship in 2016 got me even more interested, strangely.

“A few years earlier, we’d finished sixth under Martin O’Neill and now we weren’t even in the Premier League.

When the Prince fell down the Villa rabbit hole

The prince attributed his increased attention to Villa in 2016 to his rising smartphone use and easy access to results, data, and forum rumours.

He said: “I’d grown up looking at Ceefax on the television or the back pages of newspapers and if you didn’t have those to hand you were a bit out of the loop.

“But now you can get so much data and follow how your team is doing all the time and there’s so much more discussion and debate. That’s how my passion really increased."

Now that Villa's fortunes are on the rise, Prince William's love for the team has only grown, but he continues to be excited for the future. He shared: “I’m incredibly proud of the club and the journey it’s been on.

"It’s hard to put into words and a lot of Villa fans are still pinching themselves a bit that we’re here and we’ve done this.”

Do his children follow Aston Villa?

But whether the prince's children will also be Aston Villa fans remains to be seen. Prince George has often been seen attending matches with father William, but he has decided not to force Charlotte or Louis to pick the team.

He told the Sun: “I’m kind of hoping they’ll all find their own teams in time. They don’t all have to be Villa fans. I’m trying not to be biased but obviously they see how passionate I am about it and they watch the matches with me. I’m trying to spread the love a little bit.

“They do have Villa shirts, and ask to come to games with me, but they have other shirts as well. There’s been a bit of courting going on by other managers too.”

That is not to say that the whole family don't have a role in cheering the team on. When William is forced to watch on TV, the position of everyone - on and off the pitch - can prove pivotal.

The prince shared: “If I’m home alone with the children, I probably don’t have the pre-match pint but I do have a bit of superstition about where I sit when I’m watching them.

"If we’re not doing very well, I start moving round the house quite quickly and I put the children in different positions hoping that’s going to change our luck.”

Why Prince William was at a Birmingham Wetherspoons

If you are not at Villa Park, the next best place to see a game is surrounded by other fans. William said: “I like mixing with the fans. Anything Villa I love and they all love their Villa.

“It’s a family within a family and I do feel part of the Villa family. This club does an awful lot — and I know lots of clubs do it too — but I particularly feel it with Villa in my life that I’m very included.

“The morals and the vision and the general atmosphere and the culture of the club really matters.

“For me, it’s always been very welcoming, very diverse, and all-encompassing.”

However, Prince William will likely be making it to Villa's quarterfinal match, in order to the "make the most" of his team's run of success. He shared: “Getting up to Villa Park isn’t the easiest thing for me but I like to watch as many games as I possibly can either by being there or on TV.

"I’ve tried to really make an effort to get there for all the Champions League games because it feels like that’s something you’ve got to make the most of when you’re in it.

"The biggest thing at home is trying to find it on TV sometimes because obviously you’ve got the Saturday 3pm blackout which is irritating.”

Anonymous double life on Villa forums

But the prince does not just mingle with fans in Spoons and at Villa Park. Unbeknownst to many of them, he lurks in online forums for discussion. However, the heir to the throne only posts using anonymous profiles.

He said: “I like going on the forums, I can be on there for ages. I listen to what other fans have to say and give them my opinions. I get quite into it, definitely. It’s important to have that debate.”

He added: “Having said that, while I may be an armchair fan, I wouldn’t presume to tell Unai if he’s doing anything wrong.

“I’m fascinated by what Unai is doing and how he tweaks his system and what he sees.

"I’d love to know more about how he goes about managing the team better and how do you see those little details which no one else does.”