Prince William has made a surprise detour on his royal engagement to Sporting Khalsa FC on Tuesday afternoon.
The Prince of Wales, 42, stopped to see the Aston Villa squad training ahead of their Champions League major clash on Wednesday evening.
Villa will face Club Brugge in the second leg of their first knock-out fixture in the European top competition since 1983.
The Midland side gained a two-goal advantage heading into the game after they defeated the Belgium club 3-1 in the first leg of the tie a week ago.
Prince William has made a surprise detour on his royal engagement to Sporting Khalsa FC on Tuesday afternoon
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Jamaican Midfielder Leon Baily put the claret and blues ahead after just three minutes, with new loanee Marco Asensio giving the fans something to celebrate by scoring Villa's third.
The heir to the throne, a lifelong fan of the Midlands side, is often spotted at Villa Park.
During a group stage game in January, the prince travelled to Monaco to support his team.
The future King was accompanied by close friend Thomas van Straubenzee, who serves as godfather to William's daughter Princess Charlotte, during that trip to the Principality, which ended in a 1-0 defeat.
William's detour occurred prior to his royal engagement to observe a referee training course in the Midlands
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William's detour occurred prior to his royal engagement to observe a referee training course in the Midlands.
The visit was part of the FA's Reflective and Representative campaign, which Prince William supports as Patron of the Football Association.
The campaign aims to recruit 1,000 people from Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage backgrounds into refereeing roles.
This initiative seeks to open up opportunities in football to young people from diverse backgrounds.
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Prince William discussed the importance of creating opportunities in football for young people from diverse backgrounds with representatives from the FA and Sporting Khalsa
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The course, which began in July 2023, combines theoretical and practical training as it aims to equip participants aged 14 and over with skills to referee mini football, 9 v 9 and 11v 11 games safely and effectively.
During the visit, Prince William discussed the importance of creating opportunities in football for young people from diverse backgrounds with representatives from the FA and Sporting Khalsa.
William then spoke with trainers of the refereeing course and professional referee Levi Gray.
The prince heard about Gray's career journey as both a referee and Lieutenant in the British Army.
