I know Prince William is a soccer fan, but I still expected him to be somewhat staid and starchy, in contrast to other spumed, overwrought fans. Boy, was I pleasantly wrong! The man who will be king is fanatical when it comes to Aston Villa, the team he supports.
Aston Villa (an English Premier League team) just beat Nottingham Forest in a semifinal of the Europa League (a European soccer tournament. During the exciting match, the Prince’s animated antics in the stands of Villa Park Stadium (Birmingham, England) were as compelling as the on-field action.
They redeemed him (in my eyes) after his girly-man dance routine at a Taylor Swift concert (I wish she would swiftly go away so we can get back to proper rock musicians who jam in improvisational fashion).
Enough of that girly nonsense! At Villa, he proved he is a manly man, punching the air with vigor and being physically demonstrative as his team demolished their hapless opponent. There was nothing princely about the encounter, nor his reactions; just down-home, salt-of-the-Earth, unbuttoned exuberance. Oh, the joy!
One may observe Prince William’s celebratory deportment here.
Now that’s some fresh behavior for the future head of state of multiple countries. Indeed, the Prince is a breath of fresh air (his unsightly Swifty dance moves notwithstanding. I thought royals were aficionados of pompous Polo and whatnot, maybe a spot of sticky-wicket cricket. By contrast, soccer is a sport anyone can play (just need one cheap ball, some space, and, hopefully, a pair of boots); it is of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Those are attributes that also seem to capture the spirit of the Prince of Wales, the monarch-in-waiting. He has a common touch, which makes him uncommon for a royal. No wonder his popularity is through the roof. The man who will be king has his head on straight, which is a welcome development for the royal. Last night, his team, Aston Villa, were “vibrant and victorious.”
Indeed, God sent Prince William victorious, happy, and glorious – just like Villa.
