The Prince and Princess of Wales will travel to France this weekend to attend the Rugby World Cup, Kensington Palace has confirmed.
William and Kate will attend separate days of the tournament, with the Prince, who is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, making an appearance on Saturday to watch the Wales and Argentina quarter-final match at the Stade de Marseille.
Kate will attend on Sunday, cheering on England at the England versus Fiji quarter-final game, in her role as patron of the Rugby Football Union. Both weekend matches will begin at 4pm UK time.
It’s not known whether the couple will be joined by their children Prince George, ten, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five.
The royal youngsters are breaking up for the October half-term on Friday and may be meeting up with their cousins – Pippa Middleton and James Matthews’ three kids – at some point, given that Pippa and James’ eldest child, Arthur, is turning five on Sunday.
Kate and her younger sister Pippa are incredible close and will no doubt have some fun half-term plans organized for their children.
The Princess was named patron of the Rugby Football Union as well as patron of the Rugby Football League in February 2022, taking over the role from her brother-in-law Prince Harry.
At the time, Kensington Palace said: “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.”
Last month, Kate watched England triumph over Argentina in the first round of the Rugby World Cup. She and William also appeared on their cousin Mike Tindall’s podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, to talk about their love of sports.
Taking part in a special recording in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, Kate and William joked about their competitive nature.
“I don’t know where this has come from,” Kate sweetly joked, before adding: “I don’t think we’ve actually been able to finish a game of tennis. It becomes a mental challenge between the two of us,” with William confirming the pair try to “out mental” each other for the victory.
And it sounds like their love of sport is trickling down to their children. Back in February, Kate revealed that their eldest George was enjoying rugby.
During a pre-match reception at the Wales vs England Six Nations rugby match in Cardiff, the Princess said George is advancing from tag rugby to touch rugby, and is learning how to tackle.
“They are trying to teach him the rules,” Kate said, who added: “They move them around for their confidence. Because he is tall, he has the physique.” She added: “Charlotte also does rugby.”
