The Prince of Wales witnessed Manchester City take home a victory over Chelsea FC on Saturday as he attended the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. Prince William, 43, who is the Patron of the Football Association, watched the game from the stands before handing the winning trophy to manager Pep Guardiola and his triumphant team.
Surprising fans, Prince William even stopped to pose for a selfie with one of Manchester City's players, French attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki, who held up his iPhone after shaking William's hand in a long line of players to do so after the game.
Prince William, who wore a smart suit for the occasion, grinned in the photo alongside the victorious footballer.
© Getty ImagesA lifelong supporter of Aston Villa, the prince was spotted in the tunnel with both teams ahead of kick-off, but noticeably absent was William's son, Prince George, 12, who has attended a handful of football matches with his father over the years, including the FA Cup final in 2024.
William's football 'bias'
© Getty ImagesThe father-son duo were last seen at a match together in January, when they cheered on Aston Villa during their game against FC Salzburg in Birmingham. Of fostering a love of football in his children, dad-of-three William "I'm genuinely open to whoever they support," Prince William once told TNT Sports.
"I'm a bit biased, but also they come to Villa games, so they're probably going to support Villa. I've left the other two at home tonight, so we'll wait and see who they support."
William's appearance at the FA Cup Final on Saturday came after he featured on the BBC's A Berry Royal Christmas in 2019, during which the royal was quizzed about Prince George's budding passion for the sport. "I try not to be too biased, I said you can support anyone but Chelsea, so naturally he supports Chelsea," he joked.
Why William discouraged George from supporting Chelsea
The Prince revealed in 2020 that he had softened his position on George supporting Chelsea after a managerial change at the club. "It's about finding what fits for him," Prince William said on That Peter Crouch podcast.
© UK Press via Getty Images"Previously, I was a bit concerned about him supporting Chelsea, but now Frank [Lampard]'s come in, I feel the culture's a bit different at Chelsea, and I'd be okay with it. I do like the values and the ethos of the clubs. I want them to look after the players and set a good example to the young fans."
