Prince William was spotted enjoying father-son bonding time with George at Aston Villa’s Conference League match up last night in his first public appearance since Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnosis.
The Prince of Wales was seen applauding in the Villa Park stands with his eldest son, Prince George, as forward Ollie Watkins’ header saw Villa take an early lead over French side Lille in the 14th minute.
William – an avid Aston Villa fan – was seen to mouth a few words to his smiling son, dressed in a claret and blue supporters’ scarf.
The family have been staying at Anmer Hall in Norfolk with their in-laws over the Easter school holidays as Kate receives treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, announced last month.
On Wednesday Prince William had taken to social media for the first time since the news of his wife’s cancer diagnosis, paying tribute to England Lioness and Villa forward Rachel Daly after she announced her retirement from international football.
Prince William and Prince George were seen celebrating Aston Villa’s opening goal vs Lille in footage coverage of the Conference League fixture aired by TNT Sports
William, an avid Villa fan, enjoyed some father-son bonding time with George on Thursday
William, who is an avid Aston Villa fan turned and appeared to say a few words to his son
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Prince George of Wales look on during the UEFA Europa Conference League 2023/24 Quarter-final first leg match between Aston Villa and Lille OSC
Prince William and Prince George of Wales look on at the match alongside Villa centre half Tyrone Mings (right)
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The family have kept a low profile in recent weeks as the Princess of Wales takes time to recover amid rounds of ‘preventative’ chemotherapy to stop the disease.
The family are currently understood to be spending the Easter Holiday in Norfolk, before the children return to their private school in Berkshire.
Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis are due to go back on April 17.
Carole Middleton, 69, has also reportedly been supporting her daughter through her recovery at her home in Windsor, with the Princess retiring from royal duties until cleared to return by her medical team.
Prince William broke his silence on Wednesday, paying tribute to Rachel Daly as she retired from international football.
In a pithy statement shared on the Instagram account ran by the Prince and Princess of Wales, he said: ‘Thank you for so many unforgettable performances with Lioneses, Rachel Daly’.
‘Plenty more goals for Villa now,’ he quipped, with Daly now focused exclusively on her role as Aston Villa number 9 with the women’s team.
Prince William, who had not been seen publicly since his wife’s announcement, is not expected to pick back up his public duties until his children return to school after the holidays.
He was allegedly spotted on a ‘low key’ pub outing in Norfolk with his mother-in-law over the weekend, however.
‘A patron tells me: “It was all very low-key, with no great fanfare. He just walked in and through the pub. He appeared to be with Carole Middleton,”‘ The Daily Mail’s Richard Eden wrote in today’s newspaper.
Kate announced her shock cancer diagnosis in March, acknowledging she was undergoing ‘preventative’ chemotherapy after a period of absence from public life.
She said it had been an ‘incredibly tough couple of months’ for her family but she was ‘well and getting stronger every day’.
The news came after it was announced in February that King Charles III was also undergoing treatment for cancer.
Earlier this week, the Kensington Palace had posted thank you cards to members of the public who had sent their well wishes to the Princess following the announcement.
The family have been keeping a low profile in recent weeks, but spent the Easter holidays with their children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.
William has not been seen publicly since his wife’s announcement and is not expected to pick up his public duties until his children return to school.
In February he spoke to Holocaust survivor Renee Salt at the Western Marble Arch Synagogue in London and took part in discussions about the rise of anti-semitism in Britain.
Ollie Watkins arrived at the back post to nod John McGinn’s corner in to give Villa a 1-0 lead
Kate, 42, has been inundated with messages from royal fans wishing for her recovery
One woman shared an image of the card she was sent by Kensington Palace
The heir to the British throne has long been a passionate supporter of Villa – and has even brought his son Prince George along to games at Villa Park (pictured in March 2023)
Kate (pictured with Princess Charlotte on Christmas Day 2023), 42, announced via an emotional video message at the end of March that she is in the early stages of treatment after a cancer diagnosis
Prince William , 41, shared a personal message this afternoon to the official Instagram account he shares with the Princess of Wales
Keen football fan William, who supports the Birmingham-based team, became President of the FA in 2006 and regularly attends England games and FA Cup finals. Pictured, the Prince and Princess of Wales in November 2023
Three days before the Princess announced her diagnosis, William had attended a conference to help stop homelessness in the Millennium Gallery in Sheffield.
Aston Villa went on to seal a 2-1 victory against Lille after John McGinn whipped in an excellent corner to the far post which Watkins headed in.
It was the Villa forward’s 25th goal of the season, with his captain McGinn getting on the scoresheet himself in the second half to make it 2-0.
Lille would pull a goal back late on through Bafode Diakite, but the Villans would ultimately see out the remainder of the match 2-1.
Aston Villa play first place Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, April 14.