Prince William was in a celebratory mood last night after Aston Villa secured a third consecutive victory in the Champions League to continue their dream start in Europe.
The Prince of Wales, a lifelong Villa fan, could not contain his excitement after Unai Emery’s side cruised to a 2-0 victory over Bologna to maintain their 100 per cent record in the competition.
During the match, former Scotland striker and TNT Sports co-commentator Ally McCoist quipped whether Prince William would have been among the Villa fans watching at home.
Prince William, who honoured McCoist with an OBE at Windsor Castle earlier this month, offered an unprecedented personal response via social media as he revelled in Aston Villa’s victory.
Although the Royal Family typically refrains from interacting with commercial companies, the Prince of Wales reposted a TNT tweet about Villa’s win and wrote: ‘Of course I was watching, @Ally_McCoist9.’
The future King, who sometimes brings his son Prince George to games at Villa Park, signed his post off with a ‘W’ for William and #UTV, which stands for ‘Up the Villa’.
Prince William is pictured honouring Ally McCoist with an OBE for services to football and broadcasting at Windsor Castle on October 2
Prince William was in a celebratory mood last night after Aston Villa secured a third consecutive victory in the Champions League. He tweeted McCoist from the Kensington Royal X account
Prince William is a lifelong Aston Villa van and sometimes attends games at Villa Park with his son, Prince George
Villa continued their fine form in Europe thanks to second-half goals from John McGinn and Jhon Duran.
It comes after Prince William and McCoist recently crossed paths at Windsor Castle, where the former Rangers striker was awarded an OBE for his services to football and broadcasting.
On the day, McCoist shared a photo of Prince William awarding him the honour and wrote: ‘Such a proud moment for myself and my family, I am humbled to be receiving my OBE from Prince William at Windsor Castle today.
‘Thank you for all the support and messages it means so much.’
In the tweet, came ahead of Aston Villa’s stunning win over Bayern Munich, he also quipped: ‘Did we speak about Aston Villa?? That’s between the Prince and I [wink emoji].’
Speaking about meeting the Prince of Wales, McCoist told The Scottish Sun: ‘I think the fact that we had met before and chatted before was a good degree of comfort.
‘It was great, it was special. You sometimes worry will there be things to say, will there be things to talk about, but he puts everybody at ease. I really enjoyed the couple of minutes’ conversation we had.
‘I’m obviously well aware that the prince is an Aston Villa fan – they’ve got a very, very big game tonight, which I think he’s going to.
Aston Villa beat Bologna 2-0 to continue their strong start to the Champions League
Ally McCoist wondered whether Aston Villa fan Prince William had been watching the match
McCoist, left, revealed he had spoken with Prince William when he received his OBE
Prince William had been in attendance when Aston Villa beat Bayern Munich earlier this month
Prince William looked ecstatic as he cheered his beloved Aston Villa to a shock victory against Bayern Munich on October 2
A jubilant William couldn’t contain his emotions as his team won the game 1-0 against all odds, giving a delighted thumbs up to another member of the crowd
Prince William reacts during the Champions League clash between Aston Villa and Bayern Munich
Prince William and Prince George were seen celebrating Aston Villa’s opening goal vs Lille in April
William, a passionate Villa fan, sometimes brings Prince George along for the experience
Prince William and his son, Prince George, watch Aston Villa take on Lille last season
‘So we spoke about that, and just generally working in broadcasting and life, really.’
Prince William was last at Villa Park for the club’s historic win against Bayern Munich.
The heir to the throne said he had lost his voice after enthusiastically cheering his beloved side to victory.
Television footage showed a jubilant William cheering and hugging those next to him at full time, as his team beat German giants Bayern 1-0 in a repeat of their 1982 European Cup final win.
The prince – known to be a huge football fan – also made fists in victory, as well as giving a delighted thumbs up to another member of the crowd.
After the game, William said: ‘I’ve lost my voice. I can’t quite believe it. 42 years.’