Prince William uses a different name to post his thoughts on Aston Villa Football Club forums as he shocks fans with “vast knowledge” of the game, according to a source.
The Prince of Wales, 42, enjoyed a Bulmers cider at the New Street station pub before buying a round of beers for eight football fans.
The future King arranged the casual meet-up through Aston Villa football club, spending half an hour discussing the team with supporters ahead of Villa’s fixture against Everton.
The royal visit came after William’s earlier appearance at a paramedics conference in the city, where he was announced as patron of the College of Paramedics.
Prince William uses a different name to post his thoughts on Aston Villa Football Club forums as he shocks fans with “vast knowledge” of the game, according to a source
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William, who currently serves as chairman of the Football Association, has publicly discussed his love of the sport.
The prince is also regularly seen taking in England games at Wembley and watching his beloved team from the VIP box at Villa Park.
Steve Jones, a Villa fan for 35 years, was asked to join Prince William at a Wetherspoons in Birmingham during his surprise visit on Wednesday.
He revealed that the Prince of Wales “keeps abreast of Villa gossip because he is on all the fans’ forums”.
William, who currently serves as chairman of the Football Association, has publicly discussed his love of the sport
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He added: “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.”
“He had a vast knowledge of Villa. We brought up a couple of topics and he was very eloquent.”
“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.”
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The future King arranged the casual meet-up through Aston Villa football club
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Jones, who is also chairman of Chasetown Football Club, told the Atheltic: “He started talking about double pivots and how Emery moved Youri Tielemans’ position. We were like ‘What?’”
“He was talking about possible transfers, who might leave and who might come.
“We spoke about PSR (profit and sustainability rules) and Chelsea 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.”