Prince George lined up alongside his father William to play a festive football match for the first time this Christmas.

The two royals lined up side-by-side for an annual pre-Christmas match between Sandringham estate workers and neighbouring villagers while the Princess of Wales watched from the sidelines along with Princess Louis and Princess Charlotte.

William, 42, is a keen Aston Villa fan and also the president of the FA, and has taken George on a number of trips to Villa park and Wembley to watch his team and England play.

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

In previous years Prince Harry joined his brother for the annual game, but he is not believed to have stepped onto the pitch with him since at least 2016.

An insider told the Sun: ‘It just looked like healthy father-and-son bonding time.

‘There were other children playing and it was all good fun and light-hearted.

‘It is nice that they have returned to take part in the traditional game as they haven’t done so for years.

‘But it was interesting to see that Harry has now been substituted for Prince George.’

Back in 2020, William revealed on That Peter Crouch Podcast that he’s not steering George towards his own football loyalties. He disclosed: ‘I’m trying not to persuade him to be a Villa fan, I’m letting him choose his own way. It’s about finding what fits for him.’

But he did admit he showed ‘some concern’ about his son leaning towards Chelsea, which was no doubt exacerbated when the young royal was pictured jumping for joy alongside his father when Cole Palmer scored for England in the 2-1 defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin in July.

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