Prince William was spotted solo at an important soccer match for his favorite team on Thursday night, raising eyebrows online as social media users were quick to note it was his daughter, Princess Charlotte's ninth birthday.
William was photographed in the bleachers of Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, England, on May 2, watching his long-supported team Aston Villa play in the first leg of the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final against Greek club, Olympiacos.
Unlike an evening spent at a similar game last month at the stadium which is around a two-hour car journey from the Wales family's home in Windsor, William was not accompanied for Thursday's event by his eldest son, Prince George.
Users on social media site X (formerly Twitter) took to the platform to highlight the prince's attendance, coming as Kensington Palace released a new photo of his daughter, Charlotte, to mark her ninth birthday that same day.
"Look at William celebrating his daughter's birthday! Alone at a sporting event," wrote one user, with another highlighting that his soccer appearance comes as he is operating a reduced working schedule following the announcement that Princess Kate was diagnosed with cancer back in March.
"Prince William isn't able to do royal work for months now due to having to 'take care of his sick wife,' but today, on his daughter's birthday, he was able to attend #AVLOLY," they wrote in a post that has gone viral, being viewed over 100,000 times on the platform so far.
Prince William isn’t able to do royal work for months now due to having to “take care of his sick wife”, but today, on his daughter’s birthday, he was able to attend #AVLOLY 😅 pic.twitter.com/Bqn2F0Me6V
— DEE 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 (@duchessofpoms) May 2, 2024
Fans of the royal were also quick to defend his appearance.
"At what point do people realize that the football kicks off at 8 [PM] and most kids are in their beds by that time because it's a school night anything to hate on William I swear," wrote one supporter.
"Question: Is it okay for William to be enjoying himself watching football matches every now and then while his wife is in chemotherapy?" posted another. "Saw a comment by my favorite Wales fan page that got me thinking.... Why is it wrong for him to do that?"
Newsweek approached Kensington Palace via email for comment.
William is not the first royal to be criticized for spending part of their children's birthday at a sporting event.
Prince Harry faced a social media grilling for taking part in a polo game with his team Los Padres at his local club in California on May 6, 2022, his eldest child, Prince Archie's third birthday.
He subsequently spent his son's fourth birthday in Britain as it fell on the same day as King Charles III's historic coronation ceremony in London. While Harry attended the event solo, his wife Meghan and their two children, Archie and Princess Lilibet, remained at their family home in Montecito, California.
William's match appearance in Birmingham on Thursday did not appear to bring his team good luck. Aston Villa lost their game against Olympiacos 2-4, with the prince's celebrations and disappointments caught by cameras officially covering the event.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more
