Prince William today chatted to Aston Villa players as he paid a visit to the club he supports to open a new high performance centre.
The Duke of Cambridge, second in line to the throne, was at the club's new £6 million facility this morning.
He heard how the Premier League club has opened its ground for antenatal classes, while the kitchen provides 1,000 hot meals a week to local organisations.
He was there to open the Aston Villa High Performance Centre, and while there he got to speak to staff about the work they've done since the start of the Covid crisis.
William, donning a suit and a blue mask, looked to be enjoying himself as he chatted to first team stars, including captain Jack Grealish, at the ground.
The Duke, 38, was Villa's guest of honour at their North Warwickshire training base, Birmingham Live reports.
A spokesman for Aston Villa said: "The Duke was given a tour of the new building before hearing more about the Aston Villa Foundation’s Community Outreach and Support programmes, meeting representatives from initiatives like Villa Vision, TeamWork and Villa Kitchen.
"The Duke was also introduced to those involved in the antenatal clinics from the Birmingham and Sandwell NHS Trust who made use of facilities at Villa Park during the pandemic."
Explaining his reasons for supporting the Midlands club in 2015, William said: “A long time ago at school I got into football big time.
"I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run of the mill teams.
“I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments.
“Aston Villa’s always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000. Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea.
“It was fantastic, I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was sat with all the Brummie fans and had a great time.
“It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.”
The Aston Villa Foundation posted on Twitter: "As part of his visit to the Club's new High Performance Centre, His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge spoke to representatives from the Aston Villa Foundation's Community Outreach and Support programmes, which includes initiatives like Villa Vision, TeamWork and Villa Kitchen."
In January, Prince William, who is president of the FA, hit out at racist abuse in football, describing it as "despicable" and saying it "must stop" after several black players were targeted online.
He joined a social media blackout over the weekend, writing in a tweet on Friday: "As President of the FA I join the entire football community in the social media boycott this weekend. W."
