Prince William Enjoys a Sporty Dad's Night Out With Princess Charlotte's Godfather

Prince William has had quite the busy week, teaming up with David Beckham to celebrate a successful fundraising campaign on Tuesday, Oct. 1, carrying out an investiture at Windsor Castle on Wednesday and later helping a teenage cancer patient cross an item off her bucket list. But the Prince of Wales got the opportunity to let off some steam on Oct. 2 while joining one of his oldest friends for a soccer match.

Prince William, who has long been an Aston Villa fan, joined close pal Thomas van Straubenzee to watch the team beat Bayern Munich—and give some rather enthusiastic thumbs ups—at Villa Park stadium in Birmingham, England.

Van Straubenzee isn't just one of William's besties, he's also Princess Charlotte's godfather. The friends both attended Ludgrove prep school and have remained tight over the years, with Thomas returning the favor by naming William as his 4-year-old daughter, Mary's, godfather.

The duo appeared to be having a blast cheering on Aston Villa on Wednesday night, jumping up and clapping and exchanging hugs when the team won.

Dad of two Thomas, who gave a speech at Prince William and Kate Middleton's 2011 wedding, has another tie to his friend's kids; he married Lucy Lanigan-O'Keeffe, a teacher at Prince George and Princess Charlotte's old school, Thomas's Battersea, in 2020.

Van Straubenzee's brother, Charlie, is also a royal godfather, serving in the role for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Prince Archie. Sadly, the third van Straubenzee brother, Henry—another close friend of Harry's—was killed in a 2002 car accident, as the Duke of Sussex documented in his memoir, Spare.

Ahead of the game, Villa fan William got to meet members of the team's 1982 European Cup winning squad, with the prince grinning in an Instagram photo as he posed with the players in front of their trophy.

Prince William's boys' night out comes after a touching meeting with Liz Hatton, a 16-year-old girl fighting a rare, terminal cancer. He joined with wife Princess Kate—who made her first appearance since completing chemotherapy treatment in September—to meet Hatton and her family, sharing photos on Instagram of Kate hugging the photography fan.

On Thursday, Oct. 3, the Prince of Wales had another sporty outing, heading to a newly reopened community pool and highlighting a partnership with The Royal Foundation to increase the number of Brits who have access to swimming lessons.