Prince William’s “Emotional Rollercoaster” Night Out with Close Friend Edward van Cutsem

Prince William enjoyed a Dad’s Night Out with his old friend, Edward van Cutsem, to cheer on Aston Villa during their 3-2 victory against Salzburg in the UEFA Europa League. Up at the Villa, Prince William was seen going through all the emotions of a nail-bitingly close game. Rather than indulging in pints of his usual go-to hard cider, the prince stayed warm with a hot drink (Bovril, perhaps?) as temperatures dipped close to freezing.

While the most well-known British soccer teams are usually considered to be Manchester United or Chelsea Football Club, Prince William has been a longtime supporter of the lesser-known Aston Villa. Speaking to BBC’s Match of the Day host Gary Lineker back in 2015, Prince William revealed that his patriotism for the team started “a long time ago at school.” Prince William shared “I got into football [soccer] big time, I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn't want to follow the run-of-the-mill teams.”

Prince William is clearly a devoted fan, supporting Aston Villa for decades. He’s also devoted to his close friends, choosing select trusted friends and keeping them forever. His long-time friend, Edward van Cutsem, joined him at the game. King Charles is Edward’s godfather, and the eldest van Cutsem brother even served as page boy at Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer’s wedding. Edward’s brothers, Hugh and Nicholas, both serve as godfathers to Prince William’s children.

"I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments,” the prince shared with Lineker, before adding “Aston Villa's always had a great history." The team is based in Birmingham and can trace its beginnings all the way back to 1874. Last night’s game was certainly the emotional rollercoaster Prince William wanted, with the score sitting at 0-1 at halftime.