Prince William spotted at the match, his first public appearance since Kate’s cancer announcement

A bright moment between father and son. On Thursday evening, forgetting about his wife Kate’s health problems, Prince William took George, his eldest son George, to the match between Aston Villa and Lille at Villa Park in Birmingham. This is their first public appearance since Princess Kate’s cancer announcement at the end of March, while she continues “preventive” chemotherapy to stop the disease, diagnosed after abdominal surgery that raised many questions and rumors.

At the end of March, the couple and their children did not attend the traditional Easter church service at St George’s Chapel in west London. King Charles made a remarkable return there, despite the illness that struck him. Prince William is expected to return to public activities after the Easter holidays, which they are spending or were spending at their mansion Amner Hall in Norfolk.

Relaxed and smiling, the heir to the British crown enjoyed a moment of sporting warmth with his 10-year-old son, wearing a scarf in the team’s colors of burgundy and blue. Both of them did not miss the action on the field and applauded their team’s goals. During the meeting, William allegedly told the journalist that his son “loves” the club dear to his heart.

The future king is a passionate Aston Villa fan. On Wednesday he broke his silence on social media to pay tribute to player Rachel Daly, who retired from international football to focus on the club’s women’s team. In a brief statement, no longer on Instagram but still visible on X (formerly Twitter), an account run by the Prince and Princess of Wales, he wrote: “Thank you for so many memorable performances with the Lionesses. Rachel Daly.” And he added the encouraging “now Villa have a lot more goals.” And he signed his message with the letter W, indicating that he was the author.

There is currently no sign that William and George will return to Birmingham on Sunday for Aston Villa’s clash with Arsenal. The Little Prince, his sister Charlotte and brother Louis still have a few days of vacation: they will return to their private school in Berkshire only on April 17.