England’s rugby team had strong support in the stands for their quarter-final match against Fiji: their royal patron, Kate Middleton!
The Princess of Wales, 41, traveled to the Stade de Marseille in France to cheer on England’s Rugby World Cup team as they faced Fiji on Sunday.
Queen Elizabeth appointed Kate Patron of England’s Rugby Football Union and Rugby League in February 2022. It was the first redistributed position previously held by Prince Harry, who stepped down from his working royal role with wife Meghan Markle in 2020.
Princess Kate previously attended a rugby tournament to support England last month, appearing in a group stage match against Argentina. Her trip to France was a success, as England won the game 27-10. The outing also saw the debut of her new hairstyle for fall including a big change: curtain bangs!
Kate Middleton.
Cameron Spencer/Getty
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Kate appeared at a rugby match a day after her husband Prince William jetted out to France to watch Wales take on Argentina in the quarter-finals.
The separate games are no surprise as the Prince and Princess of Wales have a rugby rivalry in their household. While Kate is patron of the association and league that governs the game in England, Prince William, also 41, has been patron of Welsh rugby union since 2016. It’s a good fit, as King Charles named his eldest son the Prince of Wales (a traditional title for a male heir to the throne) on September 9, 2022, in his first speech as king after the death of Queen Elizabeth.
The ongoing rugby rivalry is not the first time William and Kate have shown their competitive sides. The pair never shy away from face-to-face, whether they’re making cocktails, sailing in a charity race or playing table tennis.
Just this week, the royals showed off their competitive sides at a mental fitness workshop organized by charity SportsAid, where they tried out sports such as netball and goalball.
Goalball is a Paralympic sport for the visually impaired in which all players wear shades or blindfolds. Tactile lines are used to help players feel where they are, and the ball has an internal bell that allows players to hear where it is.
Both Prince William and Princess Kate wore glasses to take part in the penalty shootout.
Tim Lawler, CEO of SportsAid, tells PEOPLE exclusively, “The prince took a shot and the keeper saved it, but the princess took the shot and scored, so the princess can brag!”
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Kate Middleton.
Michael Steele – World Rugby/World Rugby via Getty
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The pair recently joked about their competitive natures during an appearance on The good, the bad and the rugby podcast (hosted by Mike Tindall, the former England rugby star who is married to William’s cousin Zara).
“I’m not going to say you’re super competitive,” Mike said of Kate before pausing and nodding his head to indicate that she indeed was.
Princess Kate coyly replied, “I’m not competitive at all.”
“I saw her playing beer pong!” Mike said.
When it comes to table tennis, Kate said on the podcast that she and her husband have never “actually been able to finish a game.”
“It becomes a mental challenge between the two of us,” she said.
William added that it all comes down to “who can outdo each other”.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education