Prince George queues alongside William for festive football match

Britain's Prince William, the Prince of Wales and his children Prince George of Wales (centre) and Britain's Princess Charlotte of Wales hold gifts from well-wishers after attending the traditional Christmas Day service of the royal family at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, on December 25, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP) (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images) — Prince William invited his son George to play a festive football match at Sandringham (Photo: AFP)

Prince George lined up next to his father Guillaume playing a festive football match for the first time this Christmas.

Both royal family lined up side by side for an annual pre-Christmas match between Sandringham estate workers and neighboring villagers while the Princess of Wales look at of the margin with Princess Louis and Princess Charlotte.

William, 42 years old, is a big Aston Villa fan and also President of the FA, and took George on many trips to Villa Park and Wembley to watch his team and England play.

The Prince of Wales almost scored a goal in the friendly match as George energetically ran onto the pitch in a blue shirt.

SANDRINGHAM, NORFOLK - DECEMBER 25: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince Louis of Wales, Princess Charlotte of Wales, Prince William, Prince of Wales and Prince George of Wales attend the Christmas morning service at Sandringham Church on December 25 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage) — The Princess of Wales watched from the sidelines with children Louis and Charlotte (Photo: Samir Hussein)

Previous years Prince Harry joined his brother for the annual match, but has reportedly not taken the field with him since at least 2016.

An insider told The Sun: “It felt like a healthy bonding moment between father and son.

“There were other children playing and it was very fun and light.

“It’s good that they came back to participate in the traditional game, because they haven’t done it in years.

“But it was interesting to see that Harry has now replaced Prince George.”

SANDRINGHAM, NORFOLK - DECEMBER 25: Prince George of Wales attends the Christmas morning service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2024 in Sandringham, Norfolk. (Photo by Samir Hussein/WireImage) — Prince George has yet to choose a football team to support, according to his father (Photo: Samir Hussein)

In 2020, William revealed on the That Peter Crouch podcast that he was not steering George towards his own football loyalties. He revealed: “I try not to persuade him to be a Villa fan, I let him choose his own path. It’s about finding what suits you.

But he admitted showing “some concern” about his son’s penchant for Chelseawhich was no doubt exacerbated when the young royal was photographed jumping for joy alongside his father when Cole Palmer marked for England in 2-1 defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin in July.

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