Kate Middleton was all smiles as she attended the match between England and Argentina in the first round of the Rugby World Cup in Marseilles, France on Saturday.
The 41-year-old Princess of Wales, who is the patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League, watched from the stands at the Stade de Marseille as England emerged victorious over Argentina with a final score of 27-10.
Middleton, who was clad in a crisp white Alexander McQueen pantsuit, was pictured chatting and laughing with World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont ahead of the game.
After England’s win, the Duchess of Cambridge visited the team in their locker room, where she was pictured congratulating the team’s players including Courtney Lawes, Danny Care, Jonny May, Freddie Steward and Elliot Daly.
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In February 2022, the late Queen Elizabeth redistributed the patronages of the organizations to Middleton.
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Middleton’s husband Prince William, 41, who has been patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016, will also travel to France this weekend for a Rugby World Cup match. The Prince of Wales is set to be in attendance on Sunday when Wales takes on Fiji in Bordeaux.
On Saturday, the official Instagram page for the Prince and Princess of Wales posted a clip from a recent appearance by Middleton and William on the “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby” podcast.
The podcast is hosted by Mike Tindall, a former rugby union player and the husband of William’s cousin Zara Tindall, as well as former rugby player James Haskell and rugby commenter Alex Payne. In addition to Middleton and William, Princess Anne, who is Tindall’s mother-in-law and patron of the Scottish Rugby Union, also appeared in the episode.
In the clip, the royals discussed the sport and shared memories of their own athletic pursuits as well as personal anecdotes.
“The only time I’ve ever cried when watching sport was when Zara won, I think it was the European championship,” William admitted in the video. “I was down in Exmoor at the time camping. We were all huddled around the phone watching it.”
“She was there, she was blubbing away, the flag was going up. I was in pieces.”
Middleton remarked on the advancement in the athletic opportunities that are available to today’s youth. “Rugby and football weren’t school sports when I was growing up so it was really great that kids, like Charlotte’s playing both, it’s really good to see youngsters, particularly girls playing these sports.”
“Great chatting all things rugby and much more on @GoodBadRugby,” the royals captioned the video. “Best of luck to all the Home Nations! #RWC2023.”
The 2023 Rugby World Cup kicked off on Sept. 8 and will conclude seven weeks later on Oct. 28. If England and Wales happen to face off during the tournament, it wouldn’t be the first time that the royal couple have cheered for their opposing teams.
In February, William and Middleton attended the Six Nations rugby match between the two countries in Cardiff, England.
Ahead of the competition, the royal couple met with injured players aided by the Welsh Charitable Trust, where they alluded to a little friendly competition.
At the event, William joked “it’s going to be a very tense journey home,” per the BBC. “If we win today my wife won’t speak to me. It will be a tense evening.”
Luckily for William, Middleton’s team reigned victorious, beating Wales 20-10.
The princess, for her part, was most excited about the environment for the game, sharing “The atmosphere is always second-to-none, so I’m looking forward to that.”
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