Princess Kate interrupts weekend with rare personal message – details
The Princess of Wales has taken to social media to share a personal message as she posted her support for the England rugby team in their opening match at the Six Nations.
The royal, who is the patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League, commented: "Good luck to Steve, Maro and everyone involved with @englandrugby for your opening game of @sixnationsrugby against Ireland. C."
England are taking on Ireland in the opening round of the rugby tournament with the match taking place in Dublin. The royal is not expected to make an appearance to cheer on the team.
The sporty royal took up the patronages in 2022, taking over from her brother-in-law, Prince Harry, following his stepping down as a senior member of the royal family.
Good luck to Steve, Maro and everyone involved with @EnglandRugby for your opening game of @SixNationsRugby against Ireland. C
🏉 🏴 🌹 https://t.co/iM4qa8RBRd— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) February 1, 2025
A statement at the time read: "These new patronages, which have been given to The Duchess by Her Majesty The Queen, closely align with Her Royal Highness' longstanding passion for sport and the lifelong benefits it can provide, both within our communities and on an individual level."
The mum-of-three's sister, Pippa Middleton, has previously spoken of Kate's love of the sport, telling Vanity Fair: "Rugby was a big thing for our family, and the focal point was international matches, which were often played on Saturday afternoons and were as much social as sporting occasions.
"We'd plan our weekends around the big matches, a quick bite to eat at halftime or lunch on our laps, typically a chicken potpie or something equally cosy and English. If we lost, my dad would be in a state of despair for the rest of the afternoon, as if he'd actually lost the game himself."
It appears that Kate's youngest son, Prince Louis, has also taken an interest in the sport, with the royal joking that the youngster's style was "kamikaze" back when she accepted new rugby patronages
After accepting the patronages, Kate got stuck in the action as she joined the England team at a training session in Twickenham. Pictures from the event saw the royal throwing herself into a scrum and being chucked up in the air during a line-out.
On his podcast The Good, the Bad and the Rugby, Mike Tindall revealed that he was told about Kate's impressive on-pitch skills.
He explained: "I text Ellis [Genge] and said, 'Mate, please tell me anything she messed up on' so I could sort of… family WhatsApp group, get to her, and he said, 'No she was actually pretty good, and she was really good at kicking,' and I was like [sighs]. But she has this competitive nature."
