Prince William erupted in celebration from the stands as he watched his beloved Aston Villa end a 44-year wait for European glory in Istanbul.
The Prince of Wales was in attendance at Besiktas Park as the Villans cruised to a 3-0 win over German side Freiburg in the Europa League final.
He was seen going delirious as Villa scored two stunners in quick succession to take control of the contest going into the half-time interval.
Youri Tielemans broke the deadlock on 41 minutes, rifling home an exquisite volley from Morgan Rogers’ floated delivery, before Emi Buendia curled in a beauty in first-half stoppage time to double their lead.
Rogers then poked home Villa’s third before the hour-mark to put the game beyond doubt, with Unai Emery leading the club to a first trophy in three decades.
William, a lifelong Villa fan who regularly goes to live games, took to X after the game to congratulate the team and bask in the glory.
He wrote: “Amazing night!! Huge congratulations to all the players, team, staff and everyone connected to the club! 44 years since the last taste of European silverware!
“Special shout out to Boubacar Kamara who has been out injured but is such an integral part of our team and helped lay the foundations of this success. UTV!”
Villa captain John McGinn revealed that William was in the dressing room before kick-off as he hailed the club’s royal supporter.
“He’s a classy guy. He was in the dressing room before the game and he’s a massive Villa fan so he was never going to miss it.
“It’s great to have his support, just a normal guy but obviously it’s great to have his support. Hopefully it continues, and tonight he can have a couple drinks with us and maybe get his credit card out at the end of the night!”
Last week, sports commentator Clive Tyldesley affirmed William’s authentic passion for Aston Villa, saying there is “nothing manufactured” about his dedication to the Premier League club.
Speaking at a Windsor Castle investiture ceremony on Wednesday 13, Tyldesley described William’s allegiance as “clearly a passion of his”.
He further noted that the royal’s commitment to the club establishes “a genuine link between the (Royal) family and the national sport”.