What football team does the Queen support?

Queen Elizabeth II was Britain's longest-serving monarch at the time of her death in September 2022.

She was the country's first monarch to reach 70 years on the British throne.

To put that into perspective, that's just over two and a half times longer than Sir Alex Ferguson's time in charge of Manchester United.

The royal family have long and lasting connections with football. Let's take a look at their allegiances...

What football team does the Queen support?

There has never been an official answer from the Queen or her representatives, but it's long been speculated that Elizabeth II is a fan of West Ham.

Suggestions have also been put forward that she has a soft spot for Arsenal, though that's largely because of the Gunners' visit to Buckingham Palace near the peak of their powers in the 2000s.

Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed he once asked the Queen about her interest in football.

“I was invited to lunch with The Queen with about another 10 people,” Eriksson revealed.

“At a certain point, I asked her if she liked football. She said ‘not really’.

“I asked her for her favourite player or team. I thought she would’ve said Beckham. ‘Michael Owen is my favourite player,’ she said. I asked why and she said: ‘He looks so clean’.

“That was the answer I got and we didn’t go on with that discussion.”

Who do other members of the royal family support?

Prince William, who is the president of the Football Association, is a famous Aston Villa fan and has talked at length about his love of the club, stressing that his children will be made to support them too. However, Kate Middleton confessed in recent years that she is a Chelsea fan.

Prince Harry has never fully disclosed his allegiances but he is believed to be a fan of Arsenal - a claim which grew stronger when he was once overheard saying that most royal family members support the Gunners.

Neither William or Harry chose to follow the club their father supported with Prince Charles admitting that he is a fan of Burnley, though this is largely down to the charity work he's carried out in the area around Turf Moor.

British football clubs with royal connections

In the 20th century, Spanish football clubs could be honoured by their royal family - the most notable example is Real Madrid.

However, such a tradition does not exist in the United Kingdom. The closest such bestowment in England is Reading being nicknamed 'the Royals' due to their standing as the only professional football club in the royal county of Berkshire.

While there isn't a football club particularly close to Buckingham Palace, there is one to Windsor Castle. Windsor FC, nicknamed 'the Royalists', compete in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North and play their home games at Stag Meadow, roughly a half-hour walk from the royal residence.

Rangers' home dressing room at Ibrox features a portrait of the Queen, with former manager Graeme Souness reported to have been the brain behind such an idea.