I’ve just realized that I don’t understand how British people do VIP seating at non-Wimbledon sporting events. It seems like Wimbledon might be the outlier, with it’s official Royal Box and the biggest-name VIPs and royalty sitting front and center in the best seats in the house. Everywhere else, it feels like the royals might get less than ideal seats? Is that a security thing? Is it because a sport like football/soccer is more egalitarian? Or is it just a lack of interest in making special VIP areas in stadiums? I do not know But I do know that it seems like whenever the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attend a non-tennis event, their seats look less than ideal.
These are photos from the Aston Villa game on Saturday. The entire family Cambridge – minus Prince Louis – came out to support Prince William’s favorite team. William and Kate sat side-by-side, with Princess Charlotte on Kate’s other side and Prince George on William’s other side. There aren’t many photos of Charlotte, but from what we did see of her, she seemed focused on the game. George was focused on it too, cheering wildly for Aston Villa. All of this from what looked like the back row of some regular old seats. Was this at least some kind of VIP box?? Anyway, George seems super-involved with the game. Maybe he’ll end up a footballer! Or maybe Charlotte will end up the footballer, you never know.
Our Prince George very excited over a goal scored by Aston Villa this afternoon.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are watching Villa away with Prince George and Princess Charlotte! #Royal #TheCambridges #CambridgeFamily #AVFC #PrinceGeorge pic.twitter.com/1BUgY8XNFp
— Royal Family (@Royal_FamilyUK) October 5, 2019
Photos courtesy of Getty.
Awww George is a cutie. He was so enthusiastic and having so much fun!
I found it hilarious that at some point William had to try to calm him down since they were actually sitting surrounded by fans of the other team (and they were losing badly haha). But George is adorable.
Charlotte seemed to pay attention but at the same time she seemed to be more into the conversation Kate and the other woman (Kate’s old friend ana Charlotte’s godmother) were having
You can see George asking “why?” when William tells him to calm down, so funny.
I love 6-7 yr olds’ smiles when their baby teeth have fallen out…SO CUTE! His enthusiasm is so much fun to watch, and SO typical of his age. I like seeing Will and Kate interacting with their kids this way. Really makes me sad for Charles, when I remember that vid. Of him having to formally shake his mother’s hand when she returned from a six month tour. No hug, no kiss, just a handshake…with both parents. Truly sad.
Char’s hair got some blonde streaks from her summer play. Beautiful girl!
I like to think Charlotte’s sitting there reading a book.
Great comment 😉
To the usual neysayers – Find something wrong with this! 😆
William certainly took him to the right match – Aston Villa have been struggling all season and won 5-1 away yesterday.
Right? Or to say Kate doesn’t have any of her own girlfriends.
Naysayers??
Ok I will bite.
1. I wonder where is Rose?
2. William looked as bored at the game as he is with racism
3. I wonder what smear stories will he authorize against the Sussexes next
You gotta throw in racism, huh? I’m waiting for someone to call us all misogynists now too. Keep stirring the pot.
Oh stop….
Awww…..come on….that was not necessary…..this was adorable to watch. We can resume the bitchfest tomorrow! 😁
1. BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!
2. I can’t believe he said something so stupid. I mean, I can, but still. So stupid.
3. Right?
I read your comment and I was thinking the same thing— a cute post but some people will dredge up drama where there is none.
@JENNER yup I had to throw in racism. You know as a nonwhite person it’s always hanging around
Naysayers?
There is nothing wrong with the cambridge kids. Its the only thing will and kate have going for them. Their cute kids.
@guest
Naysayers. Weird thing to mention but if people get what they want
George was having such a great time – adorable!
Yep. It looked like a fun family outing.
It depends on the ground (re: hospitality boxes). Aston Villa is an old stadium, so they won’t have hospitality boxes kitted out in the way you Americans think: that’s more for the bigger or newer stadia including (but not limited to) Old Trafford (Man United), Anfield (Liverpool) and Tottenham Hotspur. With Villa, they would have special seating, but still with people who have paid their tickets, et al.
Wow, Villa beat Norwich 5-1? They might stay up afterall.
@ D of H – one swallow doesn’t make a summer. They need another 32 points before they can feel safe. 😆
The game was at Carrow road in Norwich.
They definitely have VIP boxes- glass cubicle type things with hospitality etc which players family watch from.
Suspect the reason they are sat in these seats was that part of the purpose is to be seen by the masses
You didn’t know where the game was or the facilities. Not kitted out as YOU think!
@ew
Neither Villa nor Norwich are my teams. Alas, my team is STILL in the Championship. T_T
The royal IG post says it’s an away game, so it’s not at Aston Villa’s stadium. Not that it really matters; your description of seating makes sense–old stadia vs. new.
So now its being reported that they were only in the stands for 5 mins, the rest of the match they were in a box…… LOL!
https://twitter.com/Mielle01787296/status/1181398676582875136
Aw, what a cutie.
Cute kids. But v convenient to be papped this weekend as a family, that’s all I’m saying 🤐
@ Jemima – thanks for making my point at 2. 🙄 Do you have any idea how many professional photographers or amateur phonographers (like my new word?) there are at any given premier league match?
Aren’t they papped, like, everywhere they go?
Nope.
They aren’t and they haven’t protested these, which is why this is so obvious. What next, will we hear they’re taking Louis with them on tour?
I’m not getting what the supposed problem is here.
No problem, merely that this is yet another of their obvious PR stunts.
Is it that they are supposedly stepping on Harry and Meghan’s trip by being photographed out with their kids? How long is the allowable post-trip waiting period, then? All the BRF use the press to promote their images, left right and center.
It is that they like to use these PR outing to prop themselves up in the face of any major criticism Harry and Meghan get. The timing is blatant if you care to pay attention.
William who used to scream bloody murder whenever the kids were photographed is now willingly trotting them out for his own PR. Rose Who?
They are at a large public event, of course they were photographed
I just find it convenient that they chose to go to a game *this* weekend. Why this game? Why not a home game? You can set your watch by it – many on social media predicted a Cambridge Family photo op this weekend when the news broke of Meghan’s lawsuit against the MoS. Also many of the same people predicted Thomas Markle crawling back out of the woodwork to the MoS again. The same tired tactics are used against the Sussex’s time and time again.
Why this game??
Aston Villa is well known to be Williams favorite team
They were playing Norwich which is in Norfolk. The Cambridges have a house Anmer Hall in Norfolk
Aston Villas stadium is in Birmingham which is not near Kensington Palace or Anmer Hall
Makes perfect sense to me
@whatever – 🤣🤣😁😁
Ugh just ignore the ones – obviously not Brits – trying to find a conspiracy in a family outing. “Home game” hahaha. Most stadiums here have hospitality boxes, I guess the Cambridges just wanted to sit amongst everyone else…. William is loosening up when it comes to his kids being seen in public. He used to be paranoid and threatening, like the other one is doing now, but I think he realised that he needs to be less nutty when it comes to his family privacy. Seeing the kids like this lets Brits build a connection. It’s the right thing to do. They don’t have to be pictured out everywhere, all the time, just here and there, like this and the gardens, etc. No one gets hounded here anyway. We only ever see the senior Royals off duty when they want people to see…..There’s no paparazzi chasing Royals anymore for the hysteria to build.
KP retweeted video footage of the kids, which they have never done before for non royal engagements. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence that the first time they decide to do this lands the same week their uncle is suing the media. It’s a dangerous game they are playing because the media will focus on their kids as they get older and if the bounds of privacy are loosened now, it will be very hard to tighten them up. Diana was accused of using the media and then being blamed when they went too far. Instead of trotting out the kids for cooing by a portion of the public how about Will and Kate just do more work? It’s really irrelevant if they are good parents or not, since William becomes king regardless. After Charles of course.
Nic919, the about face and blatant nature is fascinating after watching their games with the press for years. They are going all in on letting paps have access to the kids now. Begs the question is it just in the face of Harry and Meghan’s lawsuits, or is there more Hanbury-type news on the horizon.
Couldn’t care less how orchestrated it was…..when I see George’s obvious, genuine delight….well….I’ll forgive them anything. 😘
When paired with William’s look of “over this, how long is this game”, it loses luster.
notasugar, you’re absolutely barking.
It’s his favourite squad.
I can only imagine the plan you’ve created to off them. Please seek help.
Considering they live in Norfolk and are Duke and Duchess of a place in East Anglia (which Norfolk is part of), it is a shame they went to a match in Norwich to cheer on the other side, and the tweet and all these stories make it sound like Aston Villa was playing itself, no mention of Norwich City. Although I am sure my local dept store Jarrolds is very happy to be advertised globally!
I’d love to know who Charlotte disappeared with?
Anyway George was really cute and excited, so nice to see.
Her godmother Sophie Carter is visible in the bottom picture posted, sitting to the right of Kate.
I wonder when Prince William got the tickets.
But a ni e family outing minus poor Louis is probably a given since the Cambridges will be in Pakistan soon.
George is such a cutie. It’s nice to see him looking relaxed and natural. Whatever I may say about William and Kate being lazy (because they are), they seem to be doing a good job with their kids.
I love kids because kids are honest and saying/doing what they have in mind.
It’s clear that Prince George really is into football, he got the bug. I wonder what kind of teenager he’d be. He has plenty of energy and well William made him like his favourite team.
Very nice to see this family
I hate the monarchy and its bullsh*t nepotism but I can’t resist cute kids!
Obvious PR is obvious, as is W&K’s surprise new commitment to women and girls education.
What is this new commitment? I haven’t heard about it.
One of the engagements they’re doing in Pakistan is about education for women and girls. In 8+ years they’ve never touched the issue but now that Meghan has it as one of her main issues, W&K are on the bandwagon. Just like they got on the mental health bandwagon years after Harry started getting good press for his commitment to military mental health.
Obvious PR is obvious with All of them. What’s your point? At least most people can see through the PR with the Sussexes, and the Cambridges, instead of having blinders on with one family in particular. It’s funny how both ‘royal fan teams’ react to the obvious PR. Calling one family out and screaming “it’s not PR!!!” with the other one Lol. Carry on though.
They all rely on PR which is what most are saying here. But there is a difference when you trot out the kids instead of doing the work. The kids will only be cute for so long and then what?
Given their games from the early years of the kids, Nic919, their about face is fascinating. Makes me think there’s something more coming, not just trying to get good PR in the face of the Harry and Meghan lawsuits. And yes obvious, as obvious as all the new pro-W&K posters.
@Nota – you are right, the about face is exactly it.
Of course these are cute family pictures with the kids. They’re a cute family. George and Charlotte are both very expressive kids, which makes for cute pics. Nothing wrong with any of that.
But those of us who have followed the royals for years can clearly tell the about face here. The Cambridge’s have gone MONTHS sometimes close to a year or more, with no public pictures of their kids (ie nothing beyond official photos). Case in point – Louis. We didn’t see him from his christening to TTC this year. Whenever there is a picture of them at such an event, you know it’s intentional and for a reason.
Unless people think the Cambridge’s never leave their house besides these random pics?
Awwwwwwwwwww George is adorable.
Ok – I’ll say it. It’s a shame, from these photos, that William isn’t sharing his enthusiasm for the match with Charlotte also. He and George are cheering and jumping about while Kate chats with her friend and Charlotte sits there looking bored and tired (from the shots I’ve seen – I would love to be wrong!) Gender stereotypes much, Bill & Cathy? Encourage your only daughter to love sports too and she’ll be better for it. I may be reading too much into this, but the “boys love sports while girls sit and chat” image they’re projecting here rubbed me the wrong way first thing this AM
Kate is sporty. I’m sure she’s is providing a girls love sports role model to Charlotte. Maybe George wanted to sit by his dad and Charlotte by her mom and godmother. It’s not that heavy.
Yes, true, Kate is athletic, good point. But girls need their dads and for their dads to be interested in their sporting events too. But since you don’t know any more about it than I do, you can’t conclude “it’s not that heavy”. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. Maybe Bill has tried and it’s not Charlotte’s cup of tea. She’s still little, so time may tell which of our gut feelings are right.
There are plenty of shots (esp. from the polo games when Kate took the kids) of Char kicking around the soccer ball with George. I’d bet my last dollar that K&W encourage the kids to be as sporty as they are. William has been quoted as saying that Char could be a footballer, as she loves it so much.
Kate isn’t sporty, she is a gym rat as stated on here before. And she is definitely not a team player when it comes to other women.
@ogjan – ah, that’s nice to hear – as I said I’m happy to be wrong about this. My dad was super involved in my sporting activities and I think that father/daughter bond is very important. Thanks for letting me know!
Kate is very sporty – the hockey, football we saw earlier this year & she was very good, rowing, playing tennis, skiing, sailing, etc. All have been well documented. So don’t worry, we’ve seen Charlotte enthusiastically playing football with her brother, they also play tennis, she is going to be a little sporty spice lol, cutie.
Field hockey in school 20+ years ago, tennis, working on a yacht where she was ordered to wear longer shorts, temp on a rowing team for charity which she dumped when William took her back for a weekend, and yachting with Ben and calling it work. Doesn’t make her lifelong sporty or a team player.
NOTA: you’re forgetting all the team sports she played in school: field hockey, rounders, netball, swim team, running, sailing. Football may not be her thing, but sports in general are.
You’re talking about mandatory school things 20 years ago. The only other thing was the charity boating she did for PR to get back at Wm when he dumped her again. Even posed for a magazine shoot for it. Wm called her back for a weekend and she dropped out of the race. Not a team player.
I live in Norwich and know the football ground well – there are 100% private boxes there, they chose to sit with the plebs!
Easier for the paps this way.
So they should never let their children out in public? Sounds awful.
No, but if you’ve been following for any amount of time? The 180 degree turn in them making is easy for the paps to access the kids *when they want good PR* is obvious.
My guess is, way up high in the last seats make it somewhat easier for the RPOs–they’ve got nobody behind them & can see whoever is coming up. Tougher to get them out in a hurry, if necessary, but still.
No it isn’t easier to get high-profile people out of public seats instead of private boxes. LOL
And that’s a bad thing, is it? Jheeze. Royals have always sat amongst the plebs at different matches. Look it up. Plenty of pics of them. I don’t know what happened at Wimbledon, whatever it was, was the outliner because that hasn’t happened before. If the Cambridges were in a special box, people would complain as well soooo… they should do what they want to do.
Prince George is the cutest lil thing. He reminds me of my older nephew. When he is joyful , it is a sight to behold. And he loves football. Just cuteness galore.
Awww! I love this! For perhaps the only time in my life I relate to William. We take our kids to baseball and basketball games and I have to calm my son down too when he gets overexcited.
As for Kaiser’s question: most sports stadia/arenas have luxury boxes (what we call “suites” here in the US.) How luxurious they actually are depends on the venue, they’ll be nicer at newer venues in bigger cities. (Tottenham being the newest example in the UK, I think.) The “highest status” seats will still be front and center court-side/field-side, but there is better security and egress for celebrities in arenas than in stadia. That’s why you always see celebs courtside at NBA games but less frequently at football or soccer games. The Cambridges, being who they are, could request to sit wherever they want, but if they prefer not to be in a suite (where it IS harder to see the action and frankly less desirable if you’re a true fan) then the easiest way for your security detail to hustle you in and out is to sit near the back of the lower level. I don’t know the Norwich stadium myself, but from the pics I’d guess that’s what they did here.
See everything is fine. The Cambridge’s look unbothered and making a family appearance ( plus they like sports). I also think William is the real stay- at-home parent of the two, LOL. The monarchy isn’t about to collapse and the press can function without hysteria and slander when they choose to. Don’t know why they’re frothing so much over a few lawsuits when the rest of the Royals are getting on with their lives.
Next to Kate’s closet of blue coat dresses must be Will’s closet of blue sweaters and blue button downs lol
Hahahahaha!
So true!
In some photos it looks like Kate isn’t wearing her engagement ring which is sensible for a family outing like this.
And now there is an article in the Express saying William is following in his mother’s footsteps by visiting Pakistan because of course, as Harry did it in Angola, William has to do the same…. sigh…. the Cambridge’s just cannot be upstaged by the Sussex’s…
I haven’t seen if she’s wearing her engagement ring or not, but she wears it on boating excursions, zip lining, etc. I can’t imagine she wouldn’t wear it to this because of the particular event.
(Bet she doesn’t wear it in Pakistan though….)
Almost bet my firstborn that she won’t be wearing that ring in Pakistan:) Almost, she is pretty attached to it.
She wore it to meet street kids in Mumbai, so…
The best thing about this upcoming tour is the Royal Reporters going there too and being out of London. Perfect time to drop more lawsuits on them ( just kidding, really). At least no Sussex coverage during that time.
Mmmm… I wonder if it will be same number of reporters that went to southern Africa? I personally don’t think it will be as W&K just aren’t as interesting as H&M…
ETA Somehow this escaped the comment thread about this above. Sorry about that!
People are reading into the focus on girl’s education thing way too much imo. The explanation for that part of the tour program is in the press release:
“ Throughout the tour, Their Royal Highnesses will visit programmes which empower young people, and organisations that help ensure they have the best possible start in life. Access to quality education, particularly to girls and young women is **one of the UK’s top priorities in Pakistan.**”
AKA They’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing and supporting their country’s diplomatic missions in the areas they’re visiting.
Thank you, Lexa. I didn’t know that.
And yet in 8 years of marriage, they’ve never had that on their list of things to highlight anywhere. Nor “youth engagement” which is also a key Harry and Meghan topic that gee, W&K are doing now too all of a sudden. Obvious.
Found the Bitter Betties and they’re three rows deep. Jeez. Just enjoy the cute pictures for once. It’s the only thing the Royals are good for.
LOL!
I really wonder how Diana would feel and react to the clear rift between will and Harry.
Prince William was (is?) a pretty sporty guy, so it’s maybe not surprising he spawned a fellow sports enthusiast.
William and Kate..two ships passing in the night