Prince William reportedly hides behind a secret pseudonym when posting about Aston Villa (Image: Getty/Express Sport)
If you’re a contributor to any fan forums, there’s a good chance that you’ve been amongst royalty as has confessed to posting his thoughts on the club online using a pseudonym.
During a recent visit to Birmingham, the Princes of Wales found some time in his busy schedule to organise an impromptu chat with some of
William, 42, even indulged himself with a pint of tipple while he was surrounded by his aides and security, as he discussed a range of topics about the club.
As they happily chatted about their club, one might have wondered how the Royal – given his busy schedule and list of public engagements – could keep so in tune with Unai Emery’s team.
And that is when he let them in one of his secrets: William apparently informed them that he trawls Villa fan forums online, posting his thoughts under fake names to conceal his identity.
“He said he keeps abreast of Villa gossip because he is on all the fans’ forums,” Steve Jones, one of the fans asked to join at the pub, told
“He goes under different names and he posts on there because that’s how he gets the feeling of what’s going on and what’s the opinion.”
The Royal has made no secret for his love of the game and currently serves as chairman of the Football Association. The Prince is also regularly seen taking in England games at Wembley and watching his beloved team from the VIP box at Villa Park.
Prince William is often seen supporting Aston Villa at Villa Park (Image: Getty)
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Despite his elevated status as one of the country’s most recognised faces, the father-of-three acted like any other football fan and impressed his peers with his knowledge of the game.
“He had a vast knowledge of Villa. We brought up a couple of topics and he was very eloquent,” Jones, who is also chairman of Chasetown Football Club, added.
“He didn’t have to look up to his aides, he knew everything. We spoke about the recent West Ham game and the changes [Unai] Emery made in the second half.
“He started talking about double pivots and how Emery moved Youri Tielemans’ position. We were like ‘What?’
Prince William even had some thoughts on the tactical positioning of Youri Tielemans (Image: Getty)
“He was talking about possible transfers, who might leave and who might come. We spoke about PSR (profit and sustainability rules) and selling their women’s team.
“He admitted he would love to have more opinions on certain things within the game but he can’t in his role as president of the FA.”
With Villa currently eighth and competing for Champions League qualification again this season, there aren’t many negative aspects of their season to complain about.
But those debating with each other in the fan forums will now be wondering whether they might be talking to the Prince himself.