Prince William buys round for Aston Villa fans at Birmingham pub
For the Prince of Wales, an avid Aston Villa fan, it was pure luck that an official engagement in Birmingham coincided with a Premier League clash involving his team.
Keen not to miss an opportunity to chat all things football with fellow Villa supporters, the heir to the throne went down to the local Wetherspoon pub for a swift pint on his way home.
The Prince surprised regulars as he strolled into The London and Northwestern pub at Birmingham New Street station after addressing the College of Paramedics conference nearby.
He bought a round of drinks and spent half an hour swapping club gossip with eight fans over a pint of Bulmers cider while he waited for his train home.
The visit came ahead of Villa’s match against Everton on Wednesday evening.
Steve Jones, 56, who has supported the club for 35 years, said: “We were contacted by the club saying Prince William wanted to meet a delegation of Villa fans as he was in Birmingham as he wanted to keep in the loop with everything going on at Villa.
“He was fantastic. I was quite amazed about how engaged he was with the club, his interest. He’s not a fairweather fan. He really loves the club with a passion.
“We spoke about the club, the transfers, the pending Champions League trip to Monaco, and all things Aston Villa.”
The Prince revealed that while his eldest son, Prince George, 11, is also Villa fan, he did not want all three of his children to support the same team.
“He was massively interested and seemed like a really genuine guy,” Mr Jones added. “All he wanted to do was talk about Villa.
“He said he was hopeful about beating Everton tonight and would be watching but was wary about new manager syndrome, or rather old manager syndrome.”
Mr Jones was referring to Everton’s decision to re-hire David Moyes, who previously took charge of the club between 2002 and 2013, as their manager.
The Prince has been named the new patron of the College of Paramedics and attended its inaugural Emergency and Critical Care Conference in Birmingham.
As he addressed paramedics, he joked: “It’s great to be back in Birmingham, and for any fellow Villa fans with us today – I look forward to celebrating our win over Everton later.”
On arrival at the conference, he had told staff that he would be “watching the game and keeping an eye on what’s going on”.
The Prince said the UK owed “an enormous debt of gratitude” to the emergency services, warning that their work could lead to burnout and have a “significant impact” on mental well-being.
He said paramedics were often referred to as the “Swiss Army Knife” of frontline healthcare because they are “adaptable, multiskilled and crucially, know how to work under pressure”.
The Prince added: “This pressure is something I was all too familiar with during my time as a pilot for RAF Search and Rescue and for the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
He said: “My time in these roles allowed me to better understand the day-to-day challenges that you all face and gave me the lifelong motivation to do all I can to support your community.
“It is not just another job. Every day provides unpredictable challenges. Every shout is a journey into the unknown. Every split-second decision has immeasurable impact on so many people.”
