This is the sweet moment the Princess of Wales was met with delighted cheers and admiration from the Australian women’s rugby team after their gripping World Cup clash against England last night
Kate, 43, was all smiles as she took her seat in the stands to watch England’s Red Roses storm to a dominant 47-7 victory over the Wallaroos in the final group-stage match of the Women’s Rugby World Cup at the Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium, yesterday.
After the game, Kate, who serves as Patron of the Rugby Football Union, paid a visit to both teams in their locker rooms and praised their efforts.
In footage shared on the Wallaroos Rugby Instagram page, the future Queen was seen making a surprise visit to the Australian locker room, shaking hands and offering encouraging words.
Afterwards, the team looked as though they could not believe their luck after getting the opportunity to speak to the princess face-to-face.
In the clip, the mother-of-three could be heard speaking to one of the players, telling the team she is a ‘massive supporter’ of women’s sport.
‘How has it been playing away from home? Is it ok?’ she asked kindly, before adding: ‘You played really well, you gave us a run for our money at the beginning, it was nerve-racking!’
She added: ‘For women’s sport across the world, it’s so fantastic to see crowds like this and stadiums like this.
In a sweet moment the Princess of Wales was met with cheers and admiration from the Australian women’s rugby team after a gripping World Cup clash against England at the Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium, yesterday
‘I am a massive supporter of women’s sport, so well done – and good luck for the rest of the tournament.’
The Australian team was visibly touched by the unexpected royal visit and broke into an impromptu three cheers for Kate.
The princess turned around, waved, and blew the team a kiss before disappearing out of the changing area.
Many rushed to the comments to leave their thoughts on Kate’s kind words to the England teams competitors.
One person wrote: ‘She epitomizes the very idea of the word princess. My goodness, how graceful.’
Another added: ‘I would melt. Literally melt into a puddle
While someone else wrote: ‘The Future Queen of Australia.’
At last night’s game, Kate oozed sophistication in a chic £1,500 Alexander McQueen black blazer, which she paired with a £560 Knatchbull’s Cascade Ruffle Silk Blouse.
She completed the outfit with sleek black high-waisted trousers and her glam makeup enhanced her flawless complexion.
The Australian team, visibly touched by the unexpected royal visit broke into an impromptu three cheers for Kate
The princess turned around, waved, and blew the team a kiss before disappearing out of the changing area
Kate oozed sophistication in a chic £1,500 Alexander McQueen black blazer , which she paired with a £560 Knatchbull’s Cascade Ruffle Silk Blouse
Many rushed to the comments to leave their thoughts on Kate’s kind words to the England teams competitors
She accessorised her outfit with a £4,000 Chanel Mini Classic Handbag and a £2,500 pair of Cartier 18K Pink Yellow White Gold Small Trinity Earrings.
The game marked the final of the group stage of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, with England currently sitting at the top of the leaderboard, and Australia currently in second place.
England, who are ranked the number one side in the world, shocked the US with a 69-7 win in the first round before another strong performance to win 92-3 against Samoa last weekend.
They are one of the favourites to win the entire tournament, alongside current world cup holders New Zealand, and Canada.
Prince William and Kate have both shared personal messages to their respective teams on social media in recent weeks.
Posting in Welsh, then in English, William wrote: ‘Good luck to Wales Women as they kick off their Rugby World Cup campaign against Scotland today! Pob lwc, Cymru – ewch amdani! W.’
While Kate’s message read: ‘Wishing the Red Roses the very best as they kick off their Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign tonight.
‘I look forward to cheering you on and seeing the team rise to the challenge on home soil! C.’
She completed the outfit with sleek black high-waisted trousers and her glam makeup enhanced her flawless complexion
The Princess beamed from the stands during the Women’s Rugby World Cup at American Express Stadium, Brighton
She accessorised her outfit with a £4,000 Chanel Mini Classic Handbag and a £2,500 pair of Cartier 18K Pink Yellow White Gold Small Trinity Earrings
Kate took over the role with the RFU from her brother-in-law Prince Harry in 2022, who was forced to give up the patronage as part of the Megxit agreement.
The Princess of Wales, who grew up watching rugby with her family, is known as one of the sportiest members of the Royal Family, and has gamely taken on her husband in everything from dragon boating to wind buggy racing at royal engagements.
She has played tennis and hockey from a young age and is already royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club and is a frequent visitor to the Wimbledon Championships.
While her love and passion for hockey has been well publicised, less well known is her family’s love of rugby.
Her sister, Pippa, wrote in Vanity Fair magazine in 2014: ‘Rugby was a big thing for our family, we’d plan our weekends around the big matches.’
In the Daily Mail’s Palace Confidential podcast, Jo Elvin joked that the Wales family ‘may need a referee in house’ for the game – which forms part of the Six Nations Championship.
It’s unclear whether the royal children – Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six – are also split on which team they support: Wales for William, or England for Kate.
In fact, on Mike Tindall’s podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, Prince William did joke that the question of which team the children support has become ‘quite the thing’ at home.
He said: ‘It’s become quite the thing in the house. [Catherine] is quite into it. I’m trying to stay out of it.’
