Prince William Writes a Brand New Message (and Adds a Unique Personal Signature and Special Hashtag)

It’s a big day for football fans, especially Prince William.

If you didn’t know, today marks the first time Aston Villa have played in the Champions League, Europe’s premier competition, since the 1982-83 season. However, the big day comes less than 24 hours after the death of legendary European Cup winner Gary Shaw. The Prince of Wales marked the occasion by sharing a personal statement on his Instagram story. He wrote: “The last time @AVFCOfficial won in Europe’s premier competition was the month before I was born. Let’s hope tonight is the first step towards a new European adventure!”

Paying tribute to the late Shaw, the royal added: “My thoughts are also tonight with the friends and family of Villa legend Gary Shaw following his passing yesterday.”

Instagram/@princeandprincessofwales

The prince then concluded his speech by adding the hashtag #UTV (which stands for “Up the Villa”, a popular slogan of the club) and his first initial, “W”.

Luckily for William, the team played their best game and came away with a 3-0 victory over Young Boys, less than three months after the prince’s 42nd birthday. (Talk about a full-circle moment.) The team’s official account wasted no time celebrating on social media, and by The GuardianClub manager Unai Emery said: TNT Sports“This victory is for Gary Shaw. We watched the Champions League as they finished it, winning. We want to dedicate it to Gary Shaw.”

Royal fans may recall that Prince William has been vocal in his support for the team. In a 2015 interview with BBC News“I didn’t really want to follow the ordinary teams, I wanted to have a team that was more in the middle of the table, that could give me a more emotional experience,” he said.

He added: “Aston Villa has always had a great history. I have friends who support us at Villa, and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa, so around 2000… it was fantastic, I sat with all the fans and my red cap… and I had a great time. It was just the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt there was something I could connect with.”

I imagine the prince is throwing confetti right now. Congratulations to Aston Villa on their win!

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Prince William photographed in black and white as he stands alone in military uniform