Sport can be a divisive topic, and it looks as though even the Prince and Princess of Wales’ household isn’t immune from some friendly rivalry. The royal couple have both stepped out in support of the Women’s Rugby World Cup on Saturday afternoon, but they are supporting rival teams 100 miles apart! Prince William was at Sandy Park stadium in Exeter watching Wales against Fiji meanwhile Princess Catherine was at The American Express Stadium to support England as they face off with Australia. The prince is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) while the princess holds a similar position with the Rugby Football Union (RFU), so technically, their allegiances are in different camps!
William’s arrival
William was the first to arrive for his match, as the Prince of Wales headed to Exeter to watch Wales take on Fiji. The royal was seen wearing a black suit for the match.
Ahead of the match
Before the match, the royal was seen chatting Alan Gilpin, the Chief Executive Officer of World Rugby, and Tony Rowe, the CEO and Chairman of Exeter Rugby Group PLC.
All smiles
The father-of-three was having the time of his life ahead of the match, laughing with other attendees.
A disappointing result
Sadly, Wales crashed out of the tournament without a win to their name as they lost to Fiji in a close match. The final result was 28-25 to Fiji.
All smiles
While her husband was out in Exeter, the Princess of Wales headed to Brighton in order to watch England take on Australia.
Pre-match
Catherine spent the match with Jonathan Webb, the Vice-Chair of the Executive Board of World Rugby.
Applause for the girls
Catherine was seen applauding as members of the women’s rugby team came out onto the pitch.
A fun time!
While William endured a loss from the Welsh team, Catherine Catherine looked incredibly happy as England took a lead against Australia.
Meeting the team
Following the match, William headed to meet the team to console them following their match.
A surprise hug
It all got too much for one of the players, and William consoled them with a hug. How kind!
William and Catherine’s children’s love for sport
The royals chose to leave their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis at home this time, despite them all loving live sport and often making appearances. Prince George often watches Aston Villa and England football matches alongside his father and Princess Charlotte attended Wimbledon this year with her mum. Charlotte was even present when England’s Lionesses roared to a 3-1 victory against Spain in the final of the UEFA Women’s Euro tournament, to become two-time consecutive champs.
Royal biographer Robert Jobson has told HELLO! that he believes it’s the royal couple’s passion for sport that’s seen the children become fanatics too. “The Wales family are sport-mad and William and Catherine have clearly passed on their passion to their kids, so we’ve seen George and Charlotte popping up at major sporting events in a way we’ve not seen in previous generations of the royal family,” he said.
Talking about Charlotte’s future in the royal family, he said: “There is no rush for Charlotte to take on a royal role, but there will be roles to fill in future. We know that she’s quite sporty and she likes her ballet, so I would have thought that she might eventually take on patronages relating to sports, like her parents, and dance, like her late grandmother Princess Diana.”
