Prince William cheers on Aston Villa in the Championship play-off final

Prince William cheered on his beloved Aston Villa at Wembley today as they took on Derby County in the Championship play-off final.

The Birmingham-based side is vying for a place in the Premier League, which could result in a revenue injection of around £170million.

The Duke of Cambridge, who has been a fan since his school days, jumped up in the air with his fists clenched as Villa went one up in the closing stages of the first half.

There was elation minutes before the whistle when Anwar El Ghazi put the claret and blues ahead - leaving Derby fans distraught.

And there was more heartache in store for The Rams in the second half as Villa doubled their lead with a goal from John McGinn; though Frank Lampard's side clawed one back thanks to a great finish by Jack Marriott.

Father-of-three William, 36, dressed down for the occasion in a navy jumper over a pale blue shirt, which he teamed with dark blue chinos.

He also donned a baseball cap emblazoned with the team's crest, but this came flying off when they went close to scoring.

He joined former player John Carew in a box in the stands of the north London stadium as he animatedly cheered on his team - the favourites of the clash.

William has previously spoken about his passionate support of the Midlands club and has attended several Villa matches in the past.

Ahead of Villa's FA Cup defeat to Arsenal in May 2015, he told BBC presenter Gary Linker: 'A long time ago at school I got into football big time.

'I was looking around for clubs. All my friends at school were either Man United fans or Chelsea fans and I didn't want to follow the run of the mill teams.

'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. It was fantastic, I sat with all the fans with my red beanie on, and I was sat 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.'

Ahead of the game, William was offered a customised Villa shirt to wear – but he turned down the gesture, sporting his cap instead.

Speaking about the crunch match last week, he told the BBC he was 'incredibly excited' but admitted it would be a 'nervy affair'.

Villa have played Derby twice already in the Championship this season and emerged victorious on both occasions.