Prince William took his eldest son, Prince George, out on the town to cheer on their favorite soccer team as his mom, Princess Kate Middleton, continues her cancer treatments.
The father-son duo were spotted in the stands during Aston Villa’s match against Lille OSC during the UEFA Europa Conference League 2023-2024 quarterfinal match in Birmingham on Thursday, April 11. The twosome could be seen pointing, standing and clapping as they watched Aston Villa ultimately defeat their opponents 2-1.
William, 41, and George, 10, dressed to impress for the event, both donning button-down shirts with sweaters and matching navy coats. George, for his part, wore an Aston Villa scarf around his neck.
George, along with his siblings Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, are currently on a break from school due to the Easter holiday. The vacation began the same day that Kate, 42, announced she was undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer.
“At the time [of my surgery], it was thought that my condition was noncancerous. The surgery was successful, however, tests after the operation found cancer had been present,” Kate explained in a video message shared via social media on March 22. “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment.”
Kate said that while the news was a “huge shock” for her and her loved ones, she and William “have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”
“Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too, as is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you,” she continued. “It means so much to us both.”
Earlier this month, an insider exclusively told Us Weekly that William “is trying to be there for Kate and helping in every way he can,” adding, “He’s been doing schoolwork with the kids and spending time with them in the afternoons and evenings.”
The prince, who wed Kate in 2011, is also spending time with Kate’s family as she recovers. William recently joined his mother-in-law, Carole Middleton, for a drink at a local pub.
“I’m told he popped into a pub in North Norfolk at the weekend with his mother-in-law, who is said to have been staying with the Prince and Princess of Wales for Easter,” Richard Eden, the Palace Confidential broadcaster for Mail Plus, wrote via the Daily Mail on Wednesday, April 10, noting that the meet-up was “all very low-key, with no great fanfare. He just walked in and through the pub.”
In addition to his wife’s cancer battle, the Prince of Wales is also facing a possible ascension to the throne as his father, King Charles III, revealed his own cancer diagnosis in February. In a recent opinion piece written for The New York Times, royal expert Tina Brown wrote that Charles’ illness puts William “in frightening proximity” to becoming monarch.
“The prospect of it, I am told, is causing them intense anxiety,” Brown continued, explaining that William and Kate had “hoped for a span of years to parent their children out of the public eye,” but ascending the throne would change everything.
Despite their struggles, William and Kate took a moment last month to thank everyone for the outpouring of support as they navigate this next chapter of their lives.
“The Prince and Princess are both enormously touched by the kind messages from people here in the UK, across the Commonwealth and around the world in response to Her Royal Highness’ message,” read a Kensington Palace statement to Us on Saturday, March 23. “They are extremely moved by the public’s warmth and support and are grateful for the understanding of their request for privacy at this time.”
