Kate Middleton Travels to France for an England Match at the Rugby World Cup
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The princess watch the national team advance to the semifinals from the presidential box, but over in the bleachers, Zara and Mike Tindall were celebrating with beer and a singalong to “Sweet Caroline.”
on Sunday, England’s national rugby team clinched their spot in the World Cup semifinals, and Kate Middleton was on hand to celebrate at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France. The princess wore a off-white blazer from Zara and was photographed laughing and cheering as England prevailed over Fiji. Afterward, she joined the team’s players in the locker room to congratulate them, and the social media account she shares with Prince William posted a message of congratulations.
As the patron of England Rugby Football Union, Kate sat in the presidential box during the match, next to Sir Bill Beaumont, the chairperson of World Rugby. “We’re really excited to be here,” she told reporters afterward, per The Mirror. “Shame we can’t be here longer.”
Meanwhile, fellow royals Zara and Mike Tindall were watching from the bleachers nearby, along with fellow former England Rugby players James Haskell and Alex Payne. On the Instagram account for The Good, The Bad, and The Rugby, the podcast Mike hosts with Haskell and Payne, they shared a video that shows Zara singing along to “Sweet Caroline”
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Kate’s appearance came one day after William, who is the patron of the Wales Rugby Football Union, and the couple’s oldest son, Prince George, also took a trip to the stadium. They were in the stands as Wales lost to Argentina and missed their own chance at the semifinals. Following the loss, William sent a personal message of condolence to the team, which was also translated into the Welsh language.
A longtime rugby fan, Kate became the patron of the England RFU last year, taking over the job after Prince Harry left behind his royal duties. Ever since, Kate has embraced the role, visiting teams across the country and joining in games. Earlier this month, she joined the England National Wheelchair Rugby team for a practice, where she also learned about the various leagues open to players with disabilities.
In early September, William and Kate traveled to France to watch group stage matches at the beginning of the tournament. In an episode of The Good, The Bad, and The Rugby recorded shortly before the trip, William and Kate joined the three hosts—and Mike’s mother-in-law Princess Anne—to talk about the royal family’s connection to the game.
Anne shared a memory of playing rugby with William at Balmoral Castle while he was young. “I was really good at that because I did corners really well,” she added.
“You were quite quick,” William said. “The look that you had on your face was quite terrifying.”
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