Princes William, George attend soccer game together amid Kate Middleton cancer battle

(BIRMINGHAM, England) — Prince William and his son Prince George had a father-son night out Thursday, attending an Aston Villa soccer game in Birmingham, England.

The game marked William’s first public appearance since the announcement by his wife Kate, the Princess of Wales, in late March that she had been diagnosed with cancer and begun chemotherapy.

William and George, 10, the eldest of William and Kate’s three children, sat next to each other at the game as they cheered on Aston Villa to a 2-1 victory over French team Lille.

William is not reported to have made any public comments about Kate’s health at the game, but he did confirm to one reporter that George is following in his footsteps as an Aston Villa fan.

When asked by Sunday Paper sports reporter Neil Moxley if George is “part of the pride,” William is said to have replied, “Oh yes, he’s loving it,” according to an account of the exchange shared by Moxley on X.

Both William and Kate have remained out of the public eye since Kate’s March 22 announcement, shared in a video message, that cancer was discovered in post-operative tests after she underwent planned abdominal surgery in mid-January.

The type of cancer has not been disclosed. Kate started a course of preventative chemotherapy in late February, according to Kensington Palace.

The palace said at the time of Kate’s announcement that William would take a break from public engagements during his children’s Easter holiday from school. George and his siblings, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, attend the Lambrook School, a private school near the family’s home in Windsor, England.

Kate stepped back from public engagements at the time of her abdominal surgery in mid-January, and has continued that pause through today. The princess asked for privacy for her family in her message announcing her diagnosis, and the palace has said only that she will return to public duties once she is medically cleared to do so.

William and Kate and their children did not join other members of the royal family, including King Charles III, who is also battling cancer, for the Easter service at St. George’s Chapel on March 31.

The Waleses are believed to be spending much of their time out of the spotlight at Anmer Hall, their country estate in Norfolk, England, near the royal family’s Sandringham estate.