Over the weekend, Princess Anne experienced disappointment as Scotland’s rugby team narrowly missed clinching the Six Nations title.
The devoted supporter, aged 73, was captured in the stands at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Saturday alongside Colin Rigby, President of the Scottish Rugby Union, and Declan Madden, IRFU senior vice-president.
She sported a dark blue attire paired with a tartan scarf, accentuated by her silver and amethyst brooch, a customary accessory for her game appearances. Since 1986, the Princess has served as the patron of the Scottish Rugby Union and seldom skips a match.
However, despite Scotland initially seizing the lead, they were ultimately defeated by Ireland, resulting in a final score of 17 – 13 in favor of the home team. Anne shared the story behind her patronage during an appearance on her son-in-law Mike Tindall’s podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, last September.
“It was an accident, they asked me to go and open the East Stand [at Murrayfield Stadium] when it was built,” she said. “I had about two weeks’ notice because they had been let down, I can’t remember who by, and as it happened, the horse was lame and I wasn’t competing at the weekend, so I went. About a month later, they asked me if I wanted to become patron.”
Speaking about her passion for the sport, Anne said: “Everything that rugby gives, I’m talking about exercise and team sports in general, but I do think rugby offers a variety of talents in one team. And you have to look out for each other and that’s a different sort of responsibility within a team structure. They’re not all the same, you can have different skills.”
Following the conclusion of the four-day Cheltenham Festival, Anne attended the Six Nations final, marking her presence at both prestigious events.
During the festival in Gloucestershire, the Princess was accompanied by her children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall, where she showcased a series of striking coats and hats. Anne’s affinity for equestrian pursuits is evident, given her accomplished past in the sport. Notably, she made history as the first member of the British royal family to compete in the Olympics, participating in the 1976 Games held in Montreal.
Additionally, she secured a gold medal in 1971 and two silver medals in 1975 at the European Eventing Championships. Following her mother’s legacy, Zara has achieved remarkable success in equestrianism, triumphing at the Eventing World Championship in Aachen in 2006 and earning a silver medal as part of Team GB’s eventing team at the London 2012 Olympics.
