Prince William cries as he becomes overwhelmed with emotion after Aston Villa victory

Prince William cried with emotion as Aston Villa defeated Freiburg

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GB NEWS

Dorothy Reddin

By Dorothy Reddin


Published: 21/05/2026

- 07:52

Updated: 21/05/2026

- 07:59

The Prince of Wales travelled to Istanbul to witness his beloved team's monumental victory

Prince William was overcome with emotion in the late hours of Wednesday evening as Aston Villa secured a commanding 3-0 victory against Freiburg in the Europa League final.

The heir to the throne, watching from the stands at Besiktas Stadium, was spotted celebrating with unbridled joy alongside friends when the Villans took the lead.


As the match progressed and Villa's triumph became certain, the royal supporter found himself wiping tears from his eyes, visibly moved by the magnitude of the occasion.

The victory marks the club's first major silverware in three decades, ending a painful drought for their most famous fan.

\u200bPrince William

Prince William cried as he became overwhelmed with emotion during the Aston Villa match

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PA / GETTY

Youri Tielemans opened the scoring for Villa, prompting jubilant scenes in the royal box, before Emiliano Buendia doubled the advantage shortly afterwards.

Morgan Rogers added a third goal in the second half to complete the rout and secure the club's first major European honour in 44 years.

Following the final whistle, William composed himself sufficiently to pose with the trophy alongside manager Unai Emery.

The football-mad royal subsequently took to social media to declare his allegiance, writing: "Amazing night!!

Prince William

Prince William roared alongside his friends during the match

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PA

"Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club! Up the Villa, Villa 'Til I Die. W."

William had been granted access to the dressing room before kick-off, prompting captain John McGinn to joke about the royal's potential contribution to the post-match festivities.

McGinn quipped: "Hopefully Prince William is paying for the free bar. He's just a normal guy, and it's great to have his support.

Prince William

Prince William reacts in the stands before the match

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REUTERS

Prince William

Prince William pictured celebrating with all his friends in Istanbul

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PA

"He can have a couple of drinks with us and maybe get his credit card out tonight!"

The triumph brings an end to a frustrating run for William, who had previously witnessed Villa suffer defeat in four successive cup finals.

For Emery, the victory represents his fifth Europa League title, having previously lifted the trophy three times with Sevilla and once with Villarreal.