PASSES IN THE SPRINGTIME!
Royals join Welsh fans hours after gun drama
THE DUKE and Duchess of Cambridge were among the spectators as Wales took on France in Paris yesterday – after showing off their own rugby skills in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.
The royal couple threw a few passes around with a group of schoolchildren ahead of the Six Nations showdown at the Stade de France, with their “very good” technique earning praise.
But William, patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, and Kate looked glum when the final whistle went in the French capital’s Stade de France stadium after the game’s marathon finale.
Kate wore a red coat, which could have been interpreted as a show of support for Rob Howley’s Wales side – except for the fact it was seen by royal observers as an homage to their French hosts as it was from Paris fashion house Chanel.
The game went ahead hours after a fatal shooting at Orly Airport in the city.
News of the incident came through as the Cambridges toured a historic military hospital on the final day of their visit to the French capital.
Soldiers shot dead a 39-year-old man after he wrestled one of their colleagues to the ground and tried to steal her rifle, officials said.
Thousands of travellers were evacuated and at least 15 flights were diverted to the city’s other airport, Charles de Gaulle. No-one else was hurt in the incident.
Police did not immediately provide a motive or identify the attacker but the Paris prosecutor’s office said he was 39 and had a record of robbery and drug offences. The office said he did not appear in a French government database of people considered potential threats to national security.
Earlier yesterday he had fired birdshot at officers during a traffic stop in a Paris suburb, wounding one in the face, then stole a woman’s car at gunpoint. It was found later near Orly.
The prosecutor’s office said its antiterrorism division was handling the investigation and had taken the attacker’s father and brother into custody for questioning.
The incident further rattled France, which remains under a state of emergency after attacks over the past two years that have killed 235 people.
Spectators attending yesterday’s match reported additional security measures and searches taking place as they entered the stadium.
Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the attacker assaulted three soldiers patrolling the airport. He said the soldier who was attacked managed to hold on to her rifle and the two others she was with opened fire to protect her and the public.
A spokesman for the force later said that she was shocked but not hurt.
It happened in a public area of the airport’s South Terminal before passengers show tickets or go through security.
Officials said about 3,000 people were evacuated from Orly, where passengers told of gunshots and panic.
People on 13 flights that landed at around the time the drama unfolded had to stay on planes for several hours.
Augustin de Romanet, president of the ADP airport authority, said they were allowed off at about noon, once a search of the airport was complete.
A witness identified only as Dominque told BFM Television the attacker held the soldier by the throat and held her arm and her weapon. “We saw it was a serious situation so we escaped,” he said.
During their visit to the city the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge sympathised with survivors of the Bataclan terrorist attack of November 2015 in which 130 people were killed. They praised their bravery and the “amazing progress” of their recovery. The royal couple met a 25-year-old, known only as Jessica, who was shot seven times in the leg, hip and back.