Why does Prince William support Aston Villa? Recalling his ‘emotional roller-coaster’ choice as he attends game against Nottingham Forest

Aston Villa's 1-0 Premier League win over Nottingham Forest at Villa Park on Saturday afternoon attracted a crowd of not only football fanatics but also some special guests.

Among these guests were members of the royal family. Prince William, accompanied by his son Prince George, graced the match and was spotted sitting next to the Villa club chairman, Nassef Sawiris.

Prince William and George must be loving life as Aston Villa fans at the moment after Bertrand Traore's strike against Nottingham Forest 👑🟣 https://t.co/auYmRFCI20

This is not the first time Prince William has visited Villa Park to watch a match. He once revealed his love for Aston Villa in an interview with Gary Lineker (via Birmingham Live):

“A long time ago at school I got into football 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. I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments."

The prince continued:

“Aston Villa’s always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000. Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea."

He added:

“It was fantastic, I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was sat with all the Brummie fans and had a great time. It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.”

Like father, like son! Prince William & Prince George were mirror images of one another at the Aston Villa game today ⚽️ 📸: Getty https://t.co/TNDVIrizDE

The royal visitor was not the only high-profile personality in attendance. England manager Gareth Southgate was also present at the match, which saw Unai Emery's side extend their unbeaten run to seven matches.

Villa have been in fine form lately, winning six of their last seven matches. The club's victory over Nottingham Forest means they are unbeaten in their last seven games since losing to Arsenal in February.

Price William is an avid Aston Villa fan

Prince William was spotted wearing a Villa coat and scarf, which was a testament to his love for the club.

He has been seen at Villa Park on several occasions, including a 1-0 Championship victory over Cardiff City in April 2018, where he was pictured celebrating with former Villa favorite John Carew.

He was also spotted at the 2015 FA Cup final defeat to Arsenal, where he presented the trophy to the victors and handed out runners-up medals to Tim Sherwood's players.