Prince William quietly leaves UK for trip to Monaco without Princess Kate
The Prince of Wales made a surprise appearance in Monaco just hours after his engagement in London.
The Prince of Wales made a surprise appearance in Monaco on Tuesday, where he was spotted watching Aston Villa play in the Champions League with one of his closest friends and Princess Charlotte's godfather, Thomas van Straubenzee.
Prince William looked pensive as he could not bring his beloved team luck after the Premier League side fell to a 1-0 defeat at the Stade Louis II.
The heir to the throne was caught by television cameras sitting in the principality, wearing a blue jacket and a sweater over a blue shirt.
He was looking cold and rubbing his hands together as he spoke to close pal Thomas in the stands and another man next to them, just hours after his appearance at a charity in London.
The duo have known each other for many years as they also attended Ludgrove prep school together.
Mr van Straubenzee has been married twice, first to Lady Melissa Percy from 2013 to 2016, and now to Princess Charlotte's old teacher from St Thomas's Battersea, Lucy Lanigan O-Keeffe, with whom he has two children.
William is the godfather of his daughter, Mary.
During Tuesday's match, Prince Albert of Monaco was also spotted in the stands supporting his own team and was joined by the club's president and owner Dmitry Rybolovlev.
The Prince of Wales was seen in the crowd last October for his beloved team's victory over Bayern Munich earlier in the competition.
Television footage showed William cheering and hugging those next to him at Villa Park as his team beat German giants Bayern 1-0 in a repeat of their European Cup final win.
Last week, the prince travelled to Birmingham where he enjoyed a pint with fellow Aston Villa fans when the footie fanatics met up before a mid-week match.
William asked his club to arrange the gathering with some supporters and the group caught up in a Wetherspoons pub in the centre of Birmingham.
The future king joined eight supporters around a group of tables as they had a chat about their beloved club ahead of an away match at Everton.