Prince William reveals Princess Charlotte supports Chelsea, not Aston Villa

Prince William confirmed during a visit to Nansledan in Cornwall that his 11-year-old daughter Princess Charlotte supports Chelsea, not his own club Aston Villa. The revelation came as William met pupils from Nansledan Primary School and, upon learning one child was a Chelsea fan, replied: “My daughter loves Chelsea.”

The disclosure arrives in a notable week for William as a Villa supporter. The club lifted the Europa League trophy for the first time in over 40 years last week, beating Freiburg 3-0 in Istanbul — a match the Prince of Wales attended.

William has long said he would not pressure his children into supporting Villa. “I’m kind of hoping they’ll all find their own teams in time,” he has said previously. “They don’t all have to be Villa fans. I’m trying not to be biased but obviously they see how passionate I am about it and they watch the matches with me.”

His eldest son, Prince George, appears to have followed his father’s allegiance regardless. George has accompanied William to several Villa matches, including last season’s Champions League quarter-final defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. Youngest child Prince Louis, eight, is reportedly less settled in his loyalties — William has joked that Louis supports around “five different” teams.

Charlotte’s preference for Chelsea appears to run in the family on her mother’s side. The Princess of Wales is also believed to be a Chelsea supporter, a detail that emerged at a 2015 Christmas party at children’s charity the Anna Freud Centre, where a young guest told Hello! magazine: “We high-fived because she supports Chelsea and I support Chelsea.”

William has spoken openly about how he came to support Villa himself. On That Peter Crouch Podcast, he explained that at age 11 he was determined not to follow classmates who supported Manchester United or Arsenal. A trip to watch Villa play Bolton in the FA Cup proved decisive. “I felt a real connection with the club,” he said. “I felt Villa was a very proud Midlands club and it felt very special.”