Prince William asks Aston Villa boss Unai Emery about the team EVERY DAY - as he reveals he's become a bigger supporter since becoming a father to football-mad George

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has revealed how passionate Prince William is about his beloved football club and opened up on their relationship.

The Prince of Wales, 44, has been a fan of Villa since his days at Eton when he idolised club legend Paul McGrath - shunning the more conventional Premier League big beasts supported by his schoolmates.

He regularly attends matches at Villa Park and across Europe alongside his son George, and he has been a prominent figure during their success under Emery in recent times.

This included the Prince partying with Villa's squad after last season's Europa League triumph and he watched them against Barcelona in the Champions League at the Nou Camp last week.

And, in a special edition of Country Life magazine, which was guest edited by the 44-year-old, Emery reflected on their relationship and how often they talk about the club.

’During the transfer window, he’s asking about the team every day,' the Villa boss said. 'How is the team? How are you? How are we going to play some players? How are we going to do? He is always so close to us and we appreciate it so, so much.

Unai Emery has revealed how passionate Prince William is about Aston Villa and opened up on their relationship

The Prince pictured alongside his son George at Villa's game against Barcelona last week

A special edition of Country Life, guest edited by the 44-year-old, featured a piece on Emery

’When he’s with us, he’s a fantastic guy. We’ve had lunch together, he’s watched training sessions, we share conversations, everything about football. He shows his humble personality with us - I can’t forget it. For me, it seems unbelievable.

'He’s our boss, but he’s always trying to be at our level, respecting so much everything we are doing here. If he’s sitting with us to have lunch, he asks “Where am I sitting?” Wherever you want! It’s fantastic.

‘We are scoring, he is celebrating, it is fantastic for us. If we can give him good news, good results, good moments in football, we are proud of it.’

In the same article, the Prince of Wales went on to reflect on his love of football and Villa, revealing how he has become increasingly passionate over the years.

He added: 'Football feels like a second family to me, I love the tribal nature of being among others who support the same team. We all experience the highs and lows of following that team together and you get the feeling that you belong somewhere.

'I used to be a defender, usually right back, and I’m hoping to play in a few fathers’ five-a-side matches. Since having children, I’ve become even more fanatical than I thought I would be about the game.

'I wasn’t like this when I was 18 or 20, I kept an eye from a distance. Now, I probably think and talk about Aston Villa every day. I enjoy looking to see what is going on: the stats, the players’ recovery, tactics and matches.'

The Prince is regularly pictured watching his beloved team at Villa Park and across Europe

When asked previously about why he settled on the Midlands club, Prince William shared that it was the thrill of supporting a club without season after season of successes which had brought him to Villa.

'A long time ago at school I got into football big time. I was looking around for clubs. All my friends were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn’t want to follow the run-of-the-mill teams,' he told the BBC in 2015.

'I wanted to have a team that was more mid-table that could give me more emotional rollercoaster moments.

'Aston Villa’s always had a great history. I have got friends of mine who support Aston Villa and one of the first FA Cup games I went to was Bolton v Aston Villa back in 2000. Sadly, Villa went on to lose to Chelsea (in the final).

'It was fantastic, I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was with all the Brummie fans and had a great time.

'It was the atmosphere, the camaraderie and I really felt that there was something I could connect with.'