Prince William reunites with Princess Charlotte's godfather during surprise outing
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Prince William was spotted in the stands watching his beloved Aston Villa play in the Champions League on Tuesday - and he was joined by one of his very best friends. The future King looked pensive as he watched his team take on Monaco at the Louis II Stadium in the principality. And it ended in disappointment with Villa losing 1-0 victory to the home side.
William, dressed down in a blue jacket and a sweater over a blue shirt, was seen rubbing his hands against the cold as he chatted to close pal Thomas van Straubenzee. The two men have been friends for a number of years, having first met when they attended Ludgrove prep school together as children.
In fact, they are so close that Prince Harry previously claimed that Thomas was 'the real' best man at the Royal Wedding in 2011. Thomas is also a godfather to William and Kate's only daughter, Princess Charlotte, while William is a godfather to Thomas's daughter Mary.
It's further thought that William and Kate played matchmaker when they introduced Thomas to his wife Lucy, who not only taught Charlotte and her elder brother Prince George at Thomas's Battersea, but was also assistant head teacher at its sister school in Clapham.
Property mogul Thomas, who was previously married to former tennis player Lady Melissa Percy, wed Lucy Lanigan-O'Keeffe in 2020, and the couple now share two children together. William's surprise outing in Monaco comes shortly after he joined fellow Villa fans in a Wetherspoons in Birmingham last week.
The father-of-three bought a round of drinks for the supporters as he stopped by for a glass of Bulmers cider at the pub in New Street station. One fan, Steve Jones, 56, a Villa fan for the last 35 years, said of the Prince: "He was fantastic. I was quite amazed about how engaged he was with the club and his interest. He's not a fair weather fan. He really loves the club with a passion.
