The Prince of Wales was in high spirits today as he visited the London Ambulance Service’s headquarters – amid rising pressure to speak out about Israeli supporters being banned from an Aston Villa match.

Prince William marked the organisation’s 60th anniversary by meeting paramedics and listening to their experiences working for the UK’s largest ambulance service.

It came after police banned supporters of Israeli football club Maccabi Tel Aviv from their Europa League match with Aston Villa on November 6, amid public safety fears.

Birmingham’s Safety Advisory Group – responsible for issuing safety certificates for every match at the stadium – decided that no away fans will be permitted to attend.

William, one of Villa’s most famous fans and patron of the Football Association, has been urged to speak out on the matter by fans. He has so far not made a statement.

William is not expected to attend the match because he is already scheduled to attend the Earthshot Prize ceremony in Brazil on November 5.

Today, he visited the emergency operations control room at the Waterloo HQ and met the team answering 999 calls as well as dispatchers and the clinical hub team.

The future King, who became patron of the College of Paramedics earlier this year, has first-hand experience of being on the frontline through his roles as both an Air Ambulance and RAF Search and Rescue pilot.

He worked as an air ambulance pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) for two years between 2015 and 2017, where he flew a helicopter to emergencies.

The Prince described it as a ‘huge privilege’ to fly with the EAAA and said he had experiences on the job that he will ‘carry with me for the rest of my life’.

He said at the time: ‘I have loved being part of a team of professional, talented people that save lives every day. My admiration for our country’s medical and emergency services community could not be any stronger.’

Also during his trip todayWilliam visited vehicles used by the ambulance team, including the world’s first, purpose-built all-electric ambulance and response cars, along with taking part in a training demonstration with specialist paramedics.

The royal greeted the wellbeing team at the hub, who provide daily support to blue light workers, as they highlighted the importance of providing mental health services to those saving lives.

But it comes as football fans tagged the Prince and Princess of Wales’s handle on X today, asking if he would speak out on the controversial decision to stop away fans coming to the Villa match.

One person wrote on X: ‘Come on Prince William, you’re a Villa fan, you can’t remain quiet on this,’ while another said: ‘Prince William is an Aston Villa fan. Any comment from him?’

A third commented: ‘As patron of the FA and an Aston Villa fan, Prince William should step in here @KensingtonRoyal.’

The decision to ban Israeli supporters sparked outrage from politicians, led by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, and British Jewish leaders.

Sir Keir said on X: ‘This is the wrong decision. We will not tolerate anti-Semitism on our streets. The role of the police is to ensure all football fans can enjoy the game, without fear of violence or intimidation.’

It was also branded a ‘national disgrace’ by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and a ‘shameful decision’ by Israeli foreign minister Gideon Sa’ar.

Uefa, which runs the Europa League, urged UK authorities to make sure Maccabi Tel Aviv fans could attend the match.

West Midlands Police said they had classified the Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv fixture as high risk based on ‘current intelligence and previous incidents’.

It included ‘violent clashes and hate crime offences that occurred during the 2024 Uefa Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv in Amsterdam’.

William, a regular visitor to Villa Park with his son Prince George, has been a long-time supporter of the club – which was perhaps a surprising choice for the royal.

William explained to the BBC in 2015: ‘A long time ago at school, I got into football, big time. I was looking around for a club to support, and all my friends at school were either Manchester United fans or Chelsea fans.’

Determined not to follow a ‘run-of-the-mill’ team, William opted to support Aston Villa.

In a recent interview with The Sun, the Prince revealed he had a ‘nice connection’ with the club as they lifted the European Cup in 1982 – ‘the year I was born’.

Ever since, the future King has been a regular, anonymous contributor to online discussion sites.

One of eight Villa supporters to meet the Prince at a Wetherspoon’s pub in Birmingham, Steve Jones revealed: ‘He said he keeps abreast of Villa gossip because he is on all the fans’ forums.

‘He goes under different names and he posts on there because that’s how he gets the feeling of what’s going on and what’s the opinion.’

George has been spotted at Aston Villa games with his father. Last year Mike Tindall, who is married to King Charles’s niece Zara, said: ‘George loves his football.’

He added: ‘He’s passionate about Aston Villa, too. Wherever he is, he’ll sit down and watch that game.’