ROYAL SPORT
What football teams do Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, King Charles and other royals support?
Being a member of the British royal family has certain roles and pressures, so sport can often be a valuable distraction.
It’s fair to say that the British royal family gets plenty of attention across the Atlantic and their fans, and detractors, in the United States are already eyeing up a not-seen-for-many-decades Coronation. Of course, the addition of Meghan Markle to the royal mix a few years ago piqued interest, and the fallout since relationships soured continues to make headlines.
But it is important to unwind occasionally from the demands put upon them and how better to do so than with some sports watching (don’t confuse that with the similarly-sounding recent petrol-fuelled version). Senior members of the Royal Family are, indeed, known to be football fans, with some having made their admiration of various clubs publicly known.
With the Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort taking place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May, there are going to be some conflicts of interest for some sports fans, including some of those at the ceremony as you’ll see below. Priorities, William!
King Charles III loves a bit of Claret
Back in 2012, when King Charles III was a lowly prince aspiring to take over his mother’s role, he revealed to us all that he was a supporter of Burnley FC. It was during a reception at Windsor Castle and when asked about his backing of the club, he gave the following response.
“A consortium of my charities, including the British Asian Trust, has been working in Burnley. Hence, some of you asked this evening whether I support a British football club and I said ‘yes, Burnley’.
“And people have responded ‘Burnley?’ Oh yes, because Burnley has been through some very challenging times and I’m trying to find ways of helping to regenerate and raise aspirations and self-esteem in that part of the world.”
As a result of this public admission, although the club already knew, Burnley gave him a VIP season ticket and a lovely Clarets shirt with HRH (His Royal Highness) as the name on the back. Handy for sharing around the family, I suppose (the opening ‘H’ also used for ‘Her’).
Prince William is a Villian
The Prince of Wales, formerly the Duke of Cambridge, is a well-known Aston Villa fan, and has been attending games at Villa Park since he was a child. In 2006, he must have been utterly delighted to be named the president of the England Football Association, regularly attending England games and FA Cup finals #dreamjob. He also opened the St George’s Park national football centre and hosted a football match at Buckingham Palace to celebrate grassroots football volunteers.
Given that Villa take on local rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on the day of his dad’s Coronation, look out for Air Pods in his princely ears and the occasional royal fist pump as the game plays out.
Kate Middleton is Blue
The Princess of Wales is generally feeling blue. No she’s not a manic depressive, at least we hope not, but is a Chelsea supporter, as revealed during an engagement with a children’s charity in 2015. She high-fived a child who also supports the club and who later said: “We high-fived because she supports Chelsea and I support Chelsea.”
The Blues (that’s the team’s nickname, if it wasn’t clear) are playing away in Bournemouth on Coronation day.
Prince Harry at home with the Gunners
The Duke of Sussex has not openly disclosed his allegiance to a specific club, but during charity work in New Zealand, he was overheard saying that “most of the royal family are Arsenal fans.” What that meant exactly was unclear: is he a Gunner? Was the Queen a big Wenger girl? In a chat with sport coach in 2017 he also appeared to let slip that he was indeed an Arsenal supporter. If so, he can finally enjoy watching the Premier League again given the team’s excellent form this season.
It was also speculated that his marriage to Meghan Markle, which coincided with the FA Cup final between Manchester United and Chelsea, was intentionally scheduled for earlier in the day so that attendees could still watch the match. We applaud the idea of that, even if it wasn’t true.
Meghan Markle remains a mystery
She reportedly almost had a date with former Chelsea and Arsenal star Ashley Cole. She was picked up for following loyal Tottenham striker Harry Kane. But, I’m sorry to say, I cannot find any reference of her nailing her colours to any particular football mast.
Queen Elizabeth II: Hammers or Gunners?
The former head of state in the UK, Queen Elizabeth II, was thought to support several clubs over the years, but it’s now believed she may have been a West Ham fan. She reportedly admired the club since way back in the 1960s, but then has also been rumoured to have a soft spot for Arsenal after meeting Arsene Wenger and being impressed by Spanish star Cesc Fabregas during an event at Buckingham Palace in 2007. Very much aligned with what Harry hinted at.
However, as she did so well throughout her reign, across politics and affairs both domestic and foreign, the Queen was great at keeping her emotions and preferences under wraps, allowing her to remain neutral in the public sphere.