Rugby’s real rivalry – William versus Kate!
TWO fiercely competitive sporting rivals jostled for supremacy at Twickenham yesterday – and not just on the pitch.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge both watched the Six Nations rugby clash, with Kate cheering on England, and William backing Wales. Diplomatically, eight-year-old Prince George stayed firmly neutral.
Kate recently took over from Prince Harry as patron of England’s Rugby Football Union, adding to the friendly rivalry with William, who has been patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since taking over from the Queen in 2016.
In the end it was Kate, wearing an England scarf over her black-and-white checked coat, who was triumphant as England won by 23 points to 19.
Before kick-off, the Cambridges revealed that George has started playing rugby at his prep school, Thomas’s Battersea, and has already succeeded in tackling his mother.
William said of the match: ‘It’s a big game. We’re excited. It’s just so good to be back. It’s been quite weird watching games, and football, without the fans.’
When George was asked who he was supporting, he shrugged. His dad laughed: ‘It’s become quite the thing in the house.’
Pointing at his wife, William added: ‘She is quite into it, I’m trying to stay out of it.’
Kate then asked George to tell the group that he was learning to play the game himself. ‘He has all the kit,’ she said. George described how he had begun learning how to tackle, turning to his mother to say: ‘But I haven’t tackled you yet!’ A laughing Kate replied: ‘Yes you have.’ Kate revealed that George and his siblings Charlotte, six, and Louis, three, were ‘all enjoying’ rugby, with Louis adopting a ‘kamikaze’ style of play.
The match was a welcome distraction from events in Ukraine. Earlier in the day the couple became the first working Royals to pledge their support for those under
Russian attack, tweeting, with an emoji of the Ukrainian flag: ‘In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelensky and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future.
‘Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future W&C.’
William was last week briefed about the situation during a visit to MI6 and a meeting with Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.