Prince William makes surprise appearance in Monaco with Princess Charlotte's godfather
The Prince of Wales made a surprise appearance in Monaco as he watched his beloved football club, Aston Villa, in their latest Champions League group stage fixture.
Prince William, 42, was seen looking pensive in the stands at the Louis II Stadium as Monaco took the lead in the first half.
He was joined at the match in the Principality by one of his closest friends, Thomas van Straubenzee – who is also godfather to William's daughter, Princess Charlotte.
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William and Thomas have known one another since childhood, having attended Ludgrove prep school together.
The property mogul, who was previously married to former tennis player Lady Melissa Percy, wed Lucy Lanigan-O'Keeffe (a teacher at Prince George and Princess Charlotte's former school Thomas's Battersea) in 2020. The couple share two children, with William chosen as godfather to their daughter Mary.
William's latest show of support for the West Midlands football club comes after he surprised fellow Villa fans in Birmingham last week.
The father-of-three bought a round of drinks for the supporters as he stopped for a glass of Bulmers cider at a Wetherspoons pub in New Street station after attending the College of Paramedics' inaugural emergency and critical care conference in the city.
One fan, Steve Jones, 56, said of the Prince: "He was fantastic. I was quite amazed about how engaged he was with the club and his interest. He's not a fair weather 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. He asked many questions, he's got a good level of interest."
And when quizzed on his family following suit, Steve said William shared: "Young George is a Villa fan but he didn't want all three [children] to be Villa fans. He was massively interested and seemed like a really genuine guy and all he wanted to do was talk about Villa."
William shows off boxing skills
Earlier on Tuesday, the Prince of Wales admitted it had "been a while" as he tried out his boxing sparring skills during a visit to one of his long-standing charities.
William paid a visit to Centrepoint's centre in Ealing, west London, to meet young people experiencing homelessness and hear how they're being supported by the charity.
The centre, which offers 17 beds for young people aged 16 to 25, helps to get service users back on their feet, as well as offering a range of activities.
The Prince got involved in a game of table football before pulling on a pair of boxing gloves.
Watch him show off his skills in the video below…
Professional coach Charlie Beatt took William and a group of five youngsters through a set of boxing drills, throwing left and right jabs followed by a left hook, leading the future king to admit: "I'm working up a sweat already".
After congratulating him on his skillset, William told the trainer: "I might get back into boxing! It's been a while, a long time actually, but it's seriously hard work."
The royal has been patron of Centrepoint for 20 years, having first visited shelters with his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, when he was a child/
In 2023, William launched the Homewards project which aims to develop a blueprint for eradicating homelessness in all its forms, "making it rare, brief and unrepeated".
A spokesperson said: "As you all know, Homewards is now in its second year and The Prince is focussed on the action that can take place across the six locations. He will no doubt take inspiration from the innovative approach he saw at Centrepoint today."
