Kate Middleton Meets England Rugby Team in Dressing Rooms After World Cup Match Win

The Princess of Wales attended the match in Marseille, France in her role as patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League

Kate Middleton met up with players from England’s rugby team following their World Cup match win.

The Princess of Wales, 41, spent Saturday in Marseille, France, for the Rugby World Cup 2023 Group Stage match between England and Argentina, and after the match — which saw the English side win 27-10 — the royal met up with members of the English team in their dressing rooms at the Stade de Marseille.

In images shared on the England rugby team’s Instagram account on Sunday, the princess was greeted by player Courtney Lawes in a hallway after the match. Kate — who wore a white suit for the event — smiled as she shook hands with the player.

“A pleasure to have a very special visitor in the changing room after Saturday's match against Argentina,” the caption on the England rugby team's post read.

“Thank you for your support, HRH the Princess of Wales!”

Another photograph from the post showed the Princess of Wales inside the team’s changing rooms as she shook hands with another player, Jamie George.

Kate also spent time chatting to other team members as they wound down after their win. In another photo from the team’s post, players Jonny May, Freddie Steward and Eliott Daly smiled during a conversation with the princess.

The Rugby World Cup began on Friday in France, and Kate was at the match in her role as the patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League, a position given to her by Queen Elizabeth in February 2022. The patronage was previously held by Prince Harry, before he stepped back from his working royal role with his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020.

The Prince and Princess of Wales's official Instagram account also posted photographs from the post match meet-and-greet, as well as images from during the game and a shot of Kate watching from the stands. 

A congratulatory message to the victorious England team accompanied the carousel of photos.

“Well done @EnglandRugby! A great start to the tournament and so looking forward to following your progress in #RWC2023” the caption of the Sunday post read.

While Princess Kate attended the England team’s match, Kensington Palace previously confirmed that her husband Prince William, 41, will watch Wales vs. Fiji in a group-stage match in Bordeaux on Sunday.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have held a rugby rivalry for some time. While Kate is the patron of the union and league that governs the game in England, William has been the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016.

The royal couple's children also take after their sporty parents. Earlier this year, Kate revealed that Prince George, 10, and Princess Charlotte, 8, both play rugby, and said that her eldest child "has the physique" for the game as he is tall.

Prince Louis, 5, is also "mad" about the sport, according to his royal mom.

"We're always slightly competitive with each other. They all love sport and Louis is mad about rugby," she said in January.

Kate's comments came during a chat with athletes at a reception which celebrated the England Wheelchair Rugby League team’s win at the Rugby League World Cup Final in 2022, per the Daily Mirror.

"They are at an age where they just love running around," the princess added.

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