Burnley is one of the few football teams in the UK with a royal supporting base, including King Charles himself. During this week’s royal visit, the monarch reaffirmed his support for the Clarets.
The King paid a visit aboard the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales on Tuesday, March 4, as the Royal Navy finalised plans for a major global deployment to the Indo-Pacific this spring. However, it appears that when he met one crew member, he was preoccupied with other, possibly far more significant concerns.
Able Seaman Marc Rutherford met the King on the bridge, calling it “the proudest day of my life since joining the Royal Navy”. “I’m still in shock,” he admitted. “He was funny and I was surprised he would support a team like Burnley – Newcastle would be much better.”
King Charles reportedly began supporting the Clarets after visiting the area in 2010 and again in 2012. He’s even got his own VIP season ticket.
When asked why he chose the East Lancashire club, the then-Prince of Wales stated, “Burnley has been through some very challenging times, and I’m trying to find ways of helping regenerate and raise aspirations and self-esteem in that part of the world.”
When it comes to football, the royal family’s affections are varied, however they seem to prefer teams wearing claret and blue. Prince William is a strong Aston Villa supporter, and he is apparently raising Prince George to follow the Birmingham team as well. Queen Elizabeth II, a native Londoner, purportedly followed West Ham’s ups and downs, while Prince Harry is supposed to support Arsenal.
During his visit this week, the King flew to the flagship in the Channel, marking the first time a reigning monarch has boarded a Royal Navy warship at sea in nearly four decades. During his visit as Honorary Commodore-in-Chief Aircraft Carriers, the king, who leads the armed forces, visited with Royal Navy and Royal Air Force troops and addressed the ship’s company.
The former Prince of Wales told personnel gathered in the hangar: “As you prepare to set sail as the flagship of the UK Carrier Strike Group, building on the success of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s first deployment in 2021, I just wanted to express, on behalf of the nation, my heartfelt gratitude for the extraordinarily valuable contributions and personal sacrifices that you and your families continue to make in the name of duty. I can sense the enthusiasm and excitement among many of you now about what lies ahead over the next eight months, and all I can say is that I will be following your progress with great interest.”
Adrian Barker, the Chief Physical Training Instructor (PTI), was among the sailors who met with the King. He stated: “It was a pleasure to speak with him about deck hockey and tug of war; he clearly had pleasant recollections of dealing with PTIs in the past. It was not what I expected, but it was quite pleasant and easy to converse to.”
The monarch has flown in a Buccaneer jet to HMS Ark Royal from Royal Navy Air Station Yeovilton in 1977, therefore he is familiar with aircraft carrier operations. Despite being an experienced pilot, the then-Prince flew in the back seat while Lieutenant Commander Tony Morton, Commanding Officer of the 809 Naval Air Squadron, piloted.
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