The Prince of Wales has congratulated Aston Villa for their victory in the Europa League final in Istanbul, marking their first European trophy in 44 years.
William, patron of the Football Association and a passionate Villa supporter, erupted into cheers and celebrated as the Birmingham-based side beat Freiburg 3-0 on Wednesday.
It was Villa’s first major European final since the prince was born, their first silverware since the League Cup in 1996 and a first continental trophy since the European Cup in 1982.
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!
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 20, 2026
Special shout out to Boubacar Kamara who has been out injured but is such an integral part of our team and helped lay… https://t.co/sXLzgzvFoW
After the match, Kensington Palace published the Prince of Wales’ message to the team: “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!”
The prince added: “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.”
Midfielder Kamara has been absent since suffering a knee injury earlier this year.
After lifting the trophy, Villa captain John McGinn said that William, who has followed the club since he was a schoolboy, met the players before kick-off.
“He is a classy guy,” McGinn told TNT.
“He was in the dressing room before the game. He is a massive Villa fan so he was never going to miss it.
“He is just a normal guy. It’s great to have his support and hopefully it continues and tonight he can have a couple of drinks with us and maybe get his credit card out at the end of the night.”
During the final, Youri Tielemans and Emiliano Buendia each scored a goal at the end of the first half.
Morgan Rogers then added a third in the 58th minute, sparking jubilant scenes at the final whistle.
