Prince George Misses Prince William’s Dad Dancing Night Out

Prince William cheering with friends at an Aston Villa match — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Aston Villa defeated SC Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League Final 2026 match, and for Prince William, good times never seemed so good. In a clip shared on Instagram, the Prince of Wales burst into song (and dance), joining the crowd in Istanbul for a spirited rendition of “Sweet Caroline.” But one devoted Aston Villa fan was missing from the memorable evening.

Prince George, 12, often accompanies his father to Villa matches, but this time, he stayed at home for the international trip. Given the game was held on a Wednesday night during the school year, it’s unsurprising that Prince William chose to leave George behind with his siblings, instead attending the Europa League finals with some of his lifelong friends.

The Prince of Wales was spotted cheering alongside some of his best friends, including Ben Dawes, Thomas van Straubenzee, Edward van Cutsem and Edward’s teenage son, Jake.

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Prince William singing Sweet Caroline
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Prince William cheering at an Aston Villa match — Prince William cheers with friends at the UEFA Europa League Final 2026 match in Istanbul on May 20.

Prince William and Prince George cheering at an Aston Villa game in Paris 2025 — Prince George celebrates at the 2025 UEFA Champions League quarter final in Paris.

Football fans couldn’t get enough of William’s singing, like one who commented on the Reel, “So great to see the future king so happy. It’s wonderful to have a royal so passionate about football too, I don’t think it’s happened before. The working man’s sport. 👏.”

“Not a Villa fan but well done ❤️ just here for Prince Williams reactions... amazing,” another commented, while a third Instagram user added, “William looks so happy it's lovely seeing him be just normal and enjoying himself❤️.”

Although Prince George missed the big match, he's joined his dad at other Villa games during the school breaks, like last year, when he traveled to Paris with Prince William during their Easter holiday to watch the UEFA Champions League quarter final.

But Prince George's big chance to watch some international soccer could be coming up this summer when the World Cup heads to North America. The Prince of Wales is said to be planning to attend a match in the United States, so perhaps George should start practicing his "Sweet Caroline" moves.

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.