Prince William betrays 'true feelings' about football as he attends FA Cup final

Prince William exemplified an "authentic" football fan as he appeared at the final this evening, with his "true feelings" about the beautiful game becoming clear.

The Prince of Wales, 42, an fan, watched on today as Crystal Palace dominated City in the long-awaited final, with the Eagles scooping their first major trophy this evening. As patron of the Association, he will now need to present the victors with their trophy following the explosive final bout at Wembley Stadium. The pleasure is both professional and personal, body language expert noted, with the Prince showing his true feelings before he took his seat earlier today.

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Body language expert Judi James said the Prince's body language "pretty much defined what football is all about", adding he came across as an "authentic fan" as he sat in the stands.

Speaking to The , she said: "William's body language at the Cup Final pretty much defined what football is all about for any authentic fan. He walked out on pitch wearing an expression of frowning, intense and formal-looking seriousness, showing a respectful approach to the occasion."

The expert added that the Prince initially "appeared glum" before his true feelings eventually "broke through".

Ms James continued: "As he brought one arm up in a partial barrier ritual his eye-gaze was pointing downward while his mouth was pulled into an expression that appeared glum.

"Meeting the players though, William's true feelings broke through, though and he revealed his more excited, fan-boy side. William leaned into each shake but revealed which players he knew well via the use of a double hand clasp in the shake or even an acknowledging, knowing grin as he exchanged a few words of good luck."

The Prince is a frequent FA Cup Final attendee, having also appeared at several other final bouts, including last year's match between Manchester City and local rivals .

He is usually seen by similarly football made , who had the fortune of meeting City star and Sir in 2024.

The young royal has also appeared at numerous high-profile England matches, including the Euro final in 2020 and last year's heart-wrenching Euro final defeat to Spain in Berlin.

But the youngster was conspicuously absent from today's match, with William taking on his responsibilities of meeting the team solo.