Kate Middleton met the players of the England rugby team after winning the World Cup match.
The Princess of Wales, 41, spent Saturday in Marseille, France for the 2023 Rugby World Cup group stage match between England and Argentina, and after the game – which England won 27-10 – the royal family met with members of the England team in their dressing rooms at the Stade de Marseille.
In pictures shared on the England rugby team’s Instagram profile on Sunday, the princess was greeted by player Courtney Lawes in the corridor after the game. Kate – who wore a white suit for the event – smiled as she shook the player’s hand.
“Delighted to have a very special visitor in the dressing room after Saturday’s game against Argentina,” read the headline on the England rugby team’s post.
“Thank you for your support, HRH Princess of Wales!”
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Kate Middleton meets the players of the England rugby team in their dressing rooms after winning the Rugby World Cup match.
Dan Mullan/Getty Images
Another photo from the post shows the Princess of Wales in the team’s dressing room shaking hands with another player, Jamie George.
Kate also spent time chatting with other members of the team as they wrapped up after their win. In another photo released by the team, players Jonny May, Freddie Steward and Eliott Daly are all smiles as they chat with the princess.
The Rugby World Cup kicked off in France on Friday, and Kate was at the match in her role as Patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League, which was given to her by Queen Elizabeth in February 2022. The patronage was previously held by Prince Harry, before stepping down from his working royal role with wife Meghan Markle in 2020.
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Kate Middleton meets the players of the England rugby team in their dressing rooms after winning the Rugby World Cup match.
The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram
The official Instagram account of the Prince and Princess of Wales also posted photos from the post-match meeting, as well as pictures during the game and a shot of Kate watching from the stands. The carousel of photos was followed by a congratulation to the winning England team.
“Well done @EnglandRugby! Great start to the tournament and I look forward to following your progress in #RWC2023,” read the caption of Sunday’s post.
While Princess Kate attended the England match, Kensington Palace previously confirmed that her husband Prince William, 41, will watch Wales take on Fiji in their group stage match in Bordeaux on Sunday.
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Kate Middleton meets the players of the England rugby team in their dressing rooms after winning the Rugby World Cup match.
Dan Mullan/Getty Images
The Prince and Princess of Wales have had a rugby rivalry for some time. While Kate is patron of the association and league that governs the game in England, William has been patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016.
The children of the royal couple also follow their sporty parents. Earlier this year, Kate revealed that Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, eight, play rugby and said her eldest child “has the stature” to play because he’s tall.
Prince Louis, 5, is also “crazy” about sports, according to his royal mother.
“We’re always a bit competitive with each other. They all love sports and Louis is crazy about rugby,” she said in January.
Kate’s comments came while speaking to athletes at a reception celebrating England’s wheelchair rugby league victory in the 2022 Rugby World Cup final. Daily Mirror.
“They are at an age where they just love to run,” added the princess.
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Source: HIS Education