Prince William makes cheeky Aston Villa quip as excited dog leaps on him

Prince William met staff and students at Duchy College in Cornwall today when an excitable Labrador called River launched herself at the future King during a walkabout

Prince William was surprised by a cheeky Labrador who attempted to leap on the heir to the throne on a visit to a college today.

The Prince of Wales, who is also the Duke of Cornwall, was meeting staff and students at Duchy College in Callington, Cornwall when the excitable dog called River jumped at him as he introduced himself to her handler.

Luckily, the prince laughed off the encounter and carried on posing for photographs and selfies with some of the hundreds of students who were hoping to catch a glimpse of him during the walkabout. Holly Rushton, animal management programme manager, said the animals visit the college to help students learn about animal management.

She explained: “She [River] comes in and helps the students with their dog training and things like grooming The students find it great working with the dogs.” During the visit, William also learned about the courses the college offers students, including degrees in equine science, agriculture and horticulture.

The college also offers courses in the armed forces and emergency services, business, health and construction. William took part in a crime scene investigation where students were examining an abandoned vehicle that had been used in a burglary – with a bag of trophies scattered across the floor.

When someone quipped that could be from Aston Villa’s trophy cabinet, the prince, who is a fan of the team, jokingly replied: “There are a few comments I could make about that but I am not going to.” He also dusted aluminium powder onto the side of a car to reveal the fingerprint of a suspect.

William also visited a student-run cafe on the campus and heard from students who work there. Darren Watson, enterprise co-ordinator, explained to William they had researched his favourite cake and had made him a chocolate refrigerator cake – based on a recipe from the royal collection.

The land for the college was originally leased by the Duchy of Cornwall, to Cornwall County Council in 1984 as a new agricultural college. The Duchy has been a long-standing supporter of the college.

William’s outing at the college comes amid a busy week for the prince who attended an event run by the NFL on Tuesday and took part in some American football drills.

Meanwhile, last night, he called for a movement that creates “systemic change” to end homelessness in the UK. William made the comments as Centrepoint, the homeless charity he supports as a patron, staged an awards ceremony recognising the achievements of young people who have transformed their lives after experiencing homelessness.

Earlier in the day, he sent a defiant message to critics who have questioned if he should lead a homelessness campaign.

The Prince of Wales features in a new teaser clip from an upcoming ITV documentary about his ambitious Homewards initiative, which is designed to eradicate homelessness in six locations around the UK. In the footage, the future King is quizzed about those who might question whether he is the right person to lead the project.

And in response, he insists he has “no other agenda” than “desperately trying to help” people in need through his drive to tackle homelessness and describes how he views his royal role as attempting to influence and help where he can. In the clip, an interviewer probes: “There will be some people who might question whether you’re the right person to lead this project and its efforts to end homelessness. How would you respond to that?”

William replies: “I think everyone having a right to a safe and stable home benefits us all. I come with no other agenda than desperately trying to help people who are in need. And I see that as part of my role, is that, why else would I be here if I’m not using this role properly to influence and help people where I can?”