The Prince of Wales abandoned all royal reserve on Thursday night. As Aston Villa demolished Nottingham Forest 4-0 at Villa Park to book their place in the Europa League final, Prince William was captured by cameras leaping from his seat, embracing fellow supporters, and belting out Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” alongside the roaring home crowd. It was a moment of raw, unscripted emotion that underscored just how much this result meant – not only to a club that last contested a major European final in 1982, but to a fanbase that had endured decades of near-misses and mid-table obscurity.

Villa overturned a 1-0 first-leg deficit with a second-half masterclass. Ollie Watkins opened the scoring before half-time, Emiliano Buendía doubled the lead from the penalty spot, and John McGinn added two almost identical left-footed strikes from the edge of the area to seal a resounding 4-0 victory. The 4-1 aggregate scoreline flattered the visitors, but the margin of Villa’s dominance was unmistakable. Their reward is a date in Istanbul on May 20 against Freiburg, the German side that themselves staged a comeback, beating ten-man Braga 3-1 to advance 4-3 on aggregate.

Viewed from Berlin, Freiburg’s achievement is no less historic. The club from the Black Forest reaches its first-ever European final, a testament to patient building and astute coaching under Christian Streich. From Moscow, analysts note the irony that both finalists erased first-leg deficits; the evening belonged to the underdog narrative that European competition so often delivers. Yet the broader story, as reported from Tel Aviv and echoed across Arabic-language media, is the extraordinary dominance of English football. With Arsenal already in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain, and Crystal Palace booking their place in the Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano, the Premier League has placed clubs in all three European showpieces for the first time.

Observers in Rio de Janeiro, where betting markets are closely watched, point to the financial muscle and depth of English clubs as the underlying cause. For Villa, however, the triumph is intensely personal. Under Unai Emery, a manager who has won the Europa League four times, the Midlands club has rediscovered the ambition that brought them the European Cup 44 years ago. The final in Istanbul – a city that knows dramatic comebacks – offers Villa a shot at redemption and a first major trophy since 1996. Prince William, one suspects, will be there too, no longer a prince but simply a fan.