The Prince and Princess of Wales made an appearance during England’s Six Nations game against Wales in Cardiff this afternoon.
Kate, 41, Patron of Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Rugby Football League (RFL), and Prince William, 40, Patron of Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) since 2016, appeared in high spirits when they arrived at the game.
The famously contested royal couple take to the stands to cheer on their respective teams in their Six Nations game.
Mum-of-three Kate looked effortlessly chic in a recycled red and white Catherine Walker houndstooth coat, which she first debuted during a trip to Sweden in 2018. William looked equally patriotic and wore a red scarf.
Kate took over the rugby roles from her brother-in-law Prince Harry, who used to love to cheer for England before being forced to give up patronage as part of the Megxit deal.
The Prince and Princess of Wales made an appearance during England’s Six Nations game against Wales in Cardiff this afternoon
The competitive Kate and William are beaming (for now) as they cheer on opposing sides in the Six Nations game in England
Mum-of-three Kate looked effortlessly chic in a recycled red and white Catherine Walker houndstooth coat
The Princess of Wales, who grew up watching rugby with her family, is known as one of the sportiest members of the royal family and has taken on bravely with her husband in everything from dragon boating to wind buggy racing at royal engagements.
She played tennis and hockey from a young age and is already Royal Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and a frequent visitor to the Wimbledon Championships.
Less well known is her love of rugby. Her sister Pippa wrote in Vanity Fair magazine in 2014, “Rugby was a big thing for our family, we planned our weekends around the big games.”
Meanwhile, the Welsh players threatened to go on strike for the England game before an agreement was reached on a series of contractual disputes with their Welsh rugby bosses.
“Hopefully we never get into that situation again,” said Wales captain Ken Owens. “The biggest positive we can take from this is how united the players were and how much we supported each other.
“A lot of us older players in Welsh rugby have experienced it before. It definitely cheered us up and that showed in the unity of action taken.’
After a tumultuous period in what has to be regarded as one of Welsh rugby’s greatest crises, Owens and his team must somehow turn their attention to the action on the pitch.
Mum-of-three Kate looked effortlessly chic in a recycled red and white Catherine Walker houndstooth coat, which she first debuted during a trip to Sweden in 2018. William looked equally patriotic and wore a red scarf
Kate, 41, Patron of Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Rugby Football League (RFL), and Prince William, 40, Patron of Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) since 2016, appeared in high spirits when they arrived at the game
The famously contested royal couple take to the stands to cheer on their respective teams in their Six Nations game
Kate speaks to members of the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust before the game
William and Kate unveil a plaque to members of the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust
Kate took over the rugby roles from her brother-in-law Prince Harry, who used to love to cheer for England before being forced to give up patronage as part of the Megxit deal
Warren Gatland’s side were beaten by Ireland and Scotland in the first two rounds of the Six Nations and then the threat of strikes completely overshadowed preparations for England.
“We’re probably disappointed it’s come to this, but as players we had to do it because there’s so much uncertainty in the game,” Owens said.
“But it was put to bed on Wednesday and what’s done is done. Now we have to focus on rugby.”
Wales flanker Justin Tipuric skipped the captain’s run on Friday to accommodate his training schedule but will still start against England.
The Prince of Wales and Princess of Wales in the stands before the Guinness Six Nations match at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff
“We need a win to put pride back into the shirt after two losses,” said Owens, who revealed he agreed with his head coach Gatland that past Welsh successes had masked the cracks in the country’s previous rugby woes.
“It tries to end this saga on a positive note. We’ve had a lot of crises in Welsh rugby at various points over the last 10 or 12 years and it was almost the national team who delivered to cover them.
“If the national team hadn’t won, things probably would have come to a head much earlier.”