Prince William becomes a pundit for TNT Sports, with viewers praising him, saying he is ‘better than most on TV these days’.
Prince William has recently gone viral for stepping into the role of punditry, speaking on the broadcast of Aston Villa’s Champions League match against PSG.
He joined former footballer Rio Ferdinand and pundit Ally McCoist to discuss the game. His insightful analysis of tactics, including references to past matches and strategies, surprised and delighted football fans.
Many praised his articulate and engaging style, with some even suggesting he outshone well-known pundits like Michael Owen, Paul Scholes, and Jamie Redknapp.
Many fans on Twitter called for him to take up punditry more regularly. As a lifelong Aston Villa supporter, his passion for the sport clearly resonated, bridging the gap between royalty and the everyday football fan. He celebrated wildly with his son George as Villa scored during the game.
Is it just me or is Prince William a better pundit than half the people they get on these days?
— Football Away Days (@FBAwayDays) April 9, 2025
A big night in the Champions League under the lights. Not the result we wanted, but it’s not over yet! Bring on the second leg at Villa Park! UTV@footballontnt pic.twitter.com/VgWUTfl2zY
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) April 9, 2025
William, who also serves as the FA president, said he was ‘pretty terrified’ ahead of facing the French champions with PSG having impressed throughout the Champions League to date.
‘It has been a while coming so it is a big game, 43 years since this happened, but I am confident and excited by the prospect,’ he told TNT Sports. ‘I am wearing all my clothes and bits and pieces and have done my routines.
TV cameras filmed him down in the tunnel before kick-off, hugging and wishing Aston Villa players good luck as they made their way to the changing rooms following the warm-ups.
In the same interview, William also revealed that he wanted his son Prince George to experience ‘a big away night in Europe’.
William has been seen watching Aston Villa throughout their Champions League run, and had received an invitation to the quarter-final first leg by PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
In response to Rio asking as to whether it was a ‘lads’ trip’, William said he was on his ‘best behaviour’ in the French capital.
‘I’m not sure how many Villa fans there will be but they will make themselves well known,’ William said.
‘I have got my son here too so I am on best behaviour but 43 years since this has happened and I want George to experience a night out in a big competition, those memories are really important to create and bringing him away is important.
‘I am open to who they support, I am bias but they come to games with Villa so it will likely be Villa, but I have left the other two at home probably watching on TV. We will see who they support.’
Prince William gives his best wishes to the Aston Villa players before facing PSG 🤝
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/dvI3HaRKw1
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 9, 2025
You can never tell me Prince William isn’t proper Villa with this and his interview.
Only Royal I have time for.. Well, George too. pic.twitter.com/WiJBIvjMLP
— Emma (@WhatTheForkLads) April 9, 2025
He once explained how he came to support Aston Villa, saying: ‘A long time ago at school, I got into football, big time,’
William, who first visited Villa Park in November 2013.
‘I was looking around for a club to support, and all my friends at school were either Manchester United fans or Chelsea fans.
‘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 the more emotional rollercoaster moments.
‘To be honest, now, looking back, that was a bad idea – I could have had an easier time!
‘Aston Villa has always had a great history. I’ve got friends who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton versus Aston Villa, it was a semi-final.
‘It was fantastic, I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was sat with all the Brummie fans and had a great time.
‘It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie, and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.
‘I kept an eye on Villa from then on but didn’t get too involved initially,’ he told the Sun. ‘But Villa being relegated to the Championship in 2016 got me even more interested, strangely.
‘A few years earlier, we’d finished sixth under Martin O’Neill and now we weren’t even in the Premier League. I’m not certain why I became much more interested then, but it might have been due to the rise of the smartphone.
‘I’d grown up looking at Ceefax on the television or the back pages of newspapers, and if you didn’t have those to hand you were a bit out of the loop.
‘But now you can get so much data and follow how your team is doing all the time and there’s so much more discussion and debate. That’s how my passion really increased.’
Here’s how fans reacted as Prince William becomes a pundit with viewers saying he is ‘better than most on TV these days’…
@MattyGlen08: Let’s join our commentary team Andy Gray & The Prince of Wales
@Alex_Kerr9: Fantastic. Clearly very knowledgable and loves his club. Great to see 👏🏼
@vis_unita: Brilliant. Knowledgeable, articulate and very humble. He should be King right now.
@sudbury_nick: He’s better than almost all of them. I think that’s because he’s not as thick as a whale omelette like pretty much all the others.
@DavidMcGinlay4: Brilliant. Super Ally interviewing the future King. A wee guy from EK who has worked his nuts off every day since leaving Hunter High. Well done Super💙
@woolly2210: What a class bloke he is ..can’t wait for him to be King.
@VikingF1: Fair play! Footy fan takes his son to big European game for the experience of seeing his club on the big stage. Hope HRH gets another chance as I found his view really interesting!
@Phunkin_El: I’m down for having the king of England double up on comm for CL nights. What a legend
@AWWilde1: I was thinking the same thing when I was watching him live!!Seriously knowledgeable and provided great views/insights – loved his story about Emery’s attention to detail. Respect 🫡 👏😁
@nickswin61: Not a Villa fan but love the passion William shows here ….and btw better than most pundit 👏👏👏
@Jetkopite: Absolutely brilliant by Prince William really great to hear him talk with passion about his team and tactics. Very knowledgeable!!
@HarryBarnes1: I actually can’t wait for him to be King, ordering a curry with Peter Crouch on a football podcast to the Palace
@shawnkhorassani: what a pleasure it is to listen to well spoken man commentating on the game irrespective of who he is!
@AAllan332: Very impressive punditry from William. Give the man a job.
@quietisolation: We were just saying the same thing. He came across really well and was very knowledgable about Villa.
@nickp1969: It’s not just you, he clearly loves his football team and is very knowledgeable and comes across as a genuine fan. 👍
@ploddercfc: If the whole becoming King thing doesn’t work out, become a pundit 👍
@stevemaughan: Wow — Prince William comes across as an amazingly down to earth football commentator. Well done!!
You must be logged in to post a comment Login