Prince William Says The King "Hates" One of His Favorite Activities

King Charles wearing a tan coat next to a photo of Prince William wearing a newsboy cap and coat — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Prince William has been a devoted soccer (or as he corrected Jason Kelce—football) fan since he was young, and he made a surprise appearance on Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcast, "New Heights," ahead of Taylor Swift and Travis’s wedding on Friday, July 3. But when Travis asked the Prince of Wales if “his dad” had influenced him to become an Aston Villa fan, William didn’t mince his words.

“Absolutely not. My father hates football,” he said of King Charles, causing the Kelce brothers to burst into laughter. William added, “My family haven’t got a particularly long history with football. There are a few of us who support teams.”

While King Charles isn’t the sportiest person, he’s more into other outdoor pursuits like mushroom foraging and organic gardening, and is also a lifelong lover of the arts.

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Prince William on New Heights
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Jason Kelce jokes about his meeting with Princess Charlotte and Prince George and the royal protocol issue he didn#039;t know how to follow, the royals are pictured in a selfie with Taylor Swift — The Prince of Wales, Prince George and Princess Charlotte meet Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce during the Eras Tour.

Rather than his father, William said that friends influenced him to get into the Premier League, and the first match he ever saw was “Aston villa versus Bolton” in 2000, during which former England manager Gareth Southgate was a player.

Fast forward to 2026 and the Prince of Wales is patron of the Football Association. When Jason asked William what his role was in the FA, the Prince of Wales laughed and said, “Just don’t mess up.” More seriously, he added that “trying to get a World Cup to be hosted” in the U.K. was an aim for him, and also advocating for women’s soccer to become more popular.

As for the World Cup, Prince William promised he'd be heading to New Jersey if England makes the final later this month. One person who might not be attending, however, is Travis Kelce, who said he "probably won't be able to go" as he'll be at training camp for the Kansas City Chiefs. "Tell me who I need to write to, Travis," William said. "We'll get you out of there."

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.