The Japan Times - You're kidding! Prince William reveals Aston Villa superstitions

The 42-year-old eldest son and heir of the UK's head of state, King Charles III, also admitted he often posts his football opinions anonymously on fan forums.

"If I'm home alone with the children, I probably don't have the pre-match pint but I do have a bit of superstition about where I sit when I'm watching them," he told The Sun.

"If we're not doing very well, I start moving round the house quite quickly and I put the children in different positions hoping that's going to change our luck."

William was at Villa Park on Wednesday to see Unai Emery's team qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals, beating Club Brugge 3-0 to seal a 6-1 win on aggregate.

He said he became a fan of the Birmingham-based club after being taken to matches by family friends when he was younger.

"With the camaraderie among the fans and the chanting and the singing, I just felt like I belonged there," he explained.

"The rise of the smartphone" made him even more invested.

He told The Sun: "I'd grown up looking at Ceefax on the television or the back pages of newspapers and if you didn't have those to hand you were a bit out of the loop."

"I like going on the forums, I can be on there for ages. I listen to what other fans have to say and give them my opinions. I get quite into it, definitely. It's important to have that debate."

T.Shimizu--JT