The Duke of Cambridge surprised football fans as he joined them to watch the England v Czech Republic match at the Prince Albert pub in Battersea, south-west London on Friday night. Prince William, 37, proved he was just like one of us, as he and Chelsea manager and ex-England midfielder Frank Lampard settled down to watch the Euro 2020 qualifier with locals, but there was also another reason behind the visit. The dad-of-three chatted to football fans, who have been supported by mental health charities Mind and CALM, as part of the Heads Up campaign.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWilliam spoke to football fans who have been supported by mental health charities
Each member of the group was accompanied by somebody who has supported them through difficult times, and together they discussed with the Duke the importance of encouraging more people – particularly men – to talk about their mental health and how to support their friends and families. Launched by The FA and Heads Together, Heads Up is a season- long campaign spearheaded by the Duke, which will use the influence and popularity of football to help everyone feel as comfortable talking about mental health as they are talking about football. William has been President of the Football Association 2006 and regularly attends FA Cup finals and England games.
Prince William arrived at the pub with ex-England midfielder Frank Lampard
He's also a proud Aston Villa fan and took wife Kate and his two eldest children Prince George and Princess Charlotte to watch the Villans play Norwich City at Carrow Road stadium in Norfolk last weekend. George, six, proved he was a big fan of the beautiful game just like his dad, as he was spotted jumping up and down to celebrate Aston Villa's 5-1 victory. William appeared a little more subdued during the match than we've previously seen him, but it turned out the Cambridges were sitting among the losing home fans, so perhaps he wanted to be mindful of that.
© Photo: Getty ImagesWilliam is a huge football fan
William has previously explained why he supports Aston Villa, despite not being from the Midlands, telling Gary Lineker in 2015 that the decision dates back to his childhood. The Prince revealed: "A long time ago at school I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run of the mill teams. I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments.
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