Prince William Flies to Turkey for His Favorite Team’s Historic Match as George, Charlotte and Louis Stay Up to Watch

Prince William cheers on Aston Villa in Istanbul on May 20, 2026 Credit: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty NEED TO KNOW Prince William traveled to Istanbul to watch beloved Aston Villa compete in the Europa League final against SC Freiburg The future King previously revealed why bringing Prince George to major Aston Villa matches is “a big deal” for him Back home, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are expected to stay up late to watch the historic match unfold on TV Prince William is flying the flag for his favorite soccer team on one of the sport’s biggest nights. The Prince of Wales, 43, traveled to Istanbul on Wednesday, May 20, to cheer on his beloved Aston Villa in the Europa League final against German side SC Freiburg. The Birmingham-rooted club is chasing its first major European trophy since 1982 — the same year William was born following Villa’s European Cup triumph.

A longtime Villa supporter, William has never hidden his devotion to the team. Before departing for Turkey, he shared a rallying cry on social media, posting: “Come on Villa! Good luck in tonight’s Europa League final.

UTV! ” — short for “Up the Villa! ” — before signing off simply with “W.

” Prince William's Instagram post in support of Aston Villa Credit: princeandprincessofwales/Instagram William has been closely following the club’s European run this season. Earlier this month, he attended Aston Villa’s Europa League semifinal on May 7, where the team secured its place in the Istanbul showdown. After the match, he was filmed enthusiastically singing along with fans to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” as celebrations erupted around the stadium.