Prince William enjoyed a pint with fellow Aston Villa fans in a Wetherspoons before the team’s midweek match against Everton.
The future King joined eight supporters round a group of tables pulled together in the Birmingham city centre pub ahead of the club’s away match in Merseyside.
Daniel Jones, 18, a sixth-form college student from Burntwood, Staffordshire, said after chatting to the Prince: “He was a lovely guy, proper down to earth and he loves Villa and the passion we all share.
“I think if he didn’t have other commitments he would have loved to be at the match.”
The Prince of Wales spent more than 30 minutes with the Villa season ticket holders before they headed to tonight’s match.
William had earlier attended the College of Paramedics inaugural emergency and critical care conference in Birmingham.
The prince had been named the college’s patron earlier and in his speech paid tribute to the nation’s paramedics working in “highly stressful and often distressing circumstances”.
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The prince drank Bulmers cider but the bar staff at the London and North Western pub remained tight-lipped about who paid for the round of drinks.
John McEvoy, 64, from Solihull, who runs a catering equipment business, said: “William said a family friend took him to his first game – Villa against Bolton – and he’s loved the team ever since.
“He said he would be watching the match on TV tonight. He was just a really nice, genuine bloke who really loves Villa.
“He contacted the club and they contacted some of us to arrange this, we knew he was coming, but it’s the first time we’ve met him.
“William thought it would be a tough game tonight as [Everton] have got their old manager David Moyes back and teams get a bounce when they have a change of manager.”
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William’s visit comes a day after the Princess of Wales said cancer “makes you appreciate all the small things in life” as she met patients and staff at the hospital that treated her.
Kate had words of support – and hugs – for those dealing with the disease at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital.
The 43-year-old revealed in September she had finished chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer, calling the last six months “incredibly tough”.
