Prince William wins over schoolchildren with high-fives and jokes during fun-filled appearance

Prince William knows a thing or two about football fandom.

The long-time Aston Villa fan is often seen at football matches supporting his beloved team and has started bringing his eldest son, Prince George, 11, along for the fun. However this time, the Prince of Wales was the star attraction for hundreds of kids when he turned up to support a new training course for a regional English Football team.

The 42 year old Prince was visiting Sporting Khalsa FC to check out their referee training course which is part of the Football Association’s (FA) Reflective and Representative campaign, which aims to recruit 1000 referees from Black, Asian and mixed heritage backgrounds.

As patron of the FA, Prince William was greeted with an outpouring of excitement from hundreds of young fans, many waving Union Jack flags and holding up hand-made posters while chanting his name.

The Prince, ever the good sport, reciprocated with enthusiasm, stopping for selfies, hugs, high-fives, and engaging with many local students from Fibbersley Park Academy who were in the crowd.

After receiving such a warm welcome, Prince William joked he had “broken the record for the most amount of high fives in 10 minutes.”

One particularly cute moment came when a young fan held up a sign reading, “Aston Villa is the best.” The Prince, clearly loving the support, flashed an approving thumbs-up. In another heartwarming gesture, he leaned down to give a hug to a young child who had their arms outstretched.

Prince William is becoming known for his ability to have fun with younger royal fans while attending official engagements and will make jokes about his own children to lighten the mood.

Recently he did just that when he visited schoolchildren in Liverpool and joked that one of his children needed a “good challenge.”

He made the joke while visiting children from Princes Primary School and English Martyrs Catholic Primary School last week after he received three envelopes meant for his children Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6.

Each contained a £10 note and details of a “Smile Challenge,” where “the aim was to use the money to make someone smile without handing them the cash,” according to Hello magazine.

“This one will be a good one for Louis, he needs a good challenge,” Prince William joked, after accepting the envelopes.

The Prince of Wales then offered his gratitude on behalf of his kids.