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David Cameron will miss his beloved Aston Villa take on Arsenal in FA Cup final at Wembley because he's busy

PM's absence tomorrow will raise further questions over his commitment to Aston Villa after forgetting he supported them during election campaign

Matt Dathan
Friday 29 May 2015 17:07 BST
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David Cameron in Croydon on Saturday when he confused Aston Villa and West Ham (Getty)
David Cameron in Croydon on Saturday when he confused Aston Villa and West Ham (Getty) (Getty)

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His team has not won the FA Cup in nearly 60 years but David Cameron has decided to snub his beloved Aston Villa because he is busy with pre-existing plans.

It will raise further questions over his commitment to Villa after forgetting which team he supported during the election campaign - saying West Ham instead.

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said he would not be in the Wembley crowd to cheer on his team against defending FA Cup winners Arsenal because of "a long-standing private engagement".

Christian Benteke will be hoping to end a 58-year wait for Aston Villa fans to win the FA Cup.
Christian Benteke will be hoping to end a 58-year wait for Aston Villa fans to win the FA Cup. (Getty Images)

But another of Aston Villa's high-profile fans won't just be in the stadium tomorrow, he will be presenting the trophy too. Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge, will be watching from the director's box in his role as FA president and will hope he will be handing over a trophy bearing claret and blue ribbons at the end of the match.

In an interview with BBC's Football Focus, he said he was hoping to take his son George to an Aston Villa game soon, but said George's mum would have the final say.

Asked how he was feeling ahead of Aston Villa's first cup final in 15 years, Prince William said: "I'm nervous now. I'm terrified."

Mr Cameron is probably not feeling the same emotions - his professed love for the Midlands club was called into question last month when he expressed support for West Ham - who also play in claret and blue - during the election campaign. He later blamed a "brain fade" for his bluff, but his absence tomorrow will only confirm the nation's suspicion that he is more into his fox hunting than his football.

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