The Prince of Wales will watch Manchester’s two leading football clubs compete in the FA Cup final on Saturday, Kensington Palace has announced.

William will take his seat in the royal box for the highly anticipated final between Manchester City and Manchester United.

The prince is president of the Football Association and a passionate Aston Villa fan and regularly attends the FA Cup final.

His appearance is likely to be one of only a handful made by the royal family in the coming weeks, after the monarchy postponed engagements “which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign” following the announcement of a surprise summer General Election.

William sometimes takes his son Prince George to Aston Villa football matches and he could give the young royal the experience of a Wembley final.

Saturday’s sporting spectacle will be a repeat of the 2023 final when the same two teams played against each other, with Manchester City winning 2-1 and receiving their medals from the prince.