Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales renew rivalry at rugby game

By Hannah Furness

The Prince and Princess of Wales have gone head to head to cheer on opposing sides in the Wales v England Six Nations match, as they relaunch their public sporting rivalries.

The Princess, who is in remission from cancer, continued her gradual return to work on Saturday afternoon to support England in her role as patron of the Rugby Football Union.

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The Prince is patron of Welsh Rugby Union, and the married couple were keen to show off their competitive sides at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

It is the first time the couple have attended the stadium together since 2023. On that occasion, England won and the Prince joked that it would be a “tense journey home” with his wife. During the match, the Prince wore a red scarf to show his allegiance.

The couple have enjoyed a rivalry in a variety of sports including sailing, athletics, netball, abseiling, archery, spin cycling, table tennis, canoeing, ice hockey and land yachting.

Before the match on Saturday, the Prince and Princess met players who have been supported by the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust. The meeting took place inside the Sir Tasker Watkins Suite – a space dedicated for use by the players and their families before matches.

The Prince is patron of the trust, which was set up to help players who have been severely injured while playing rugby in Wales, and their loved ones. It invites them to every Wales home game, and hosts an annual family day.

Ahead of the match, the Prince and Princess spoke of how they watch Princes George and Louis play rugby at weekends in “freezing” weather.

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“At weekends we go from one competition to the next,” Prince William said.

The Princess added: “Louis is six and he’s just started touch rugby and George is 11 and he plays a bit more. They do really enjoy it, actually.”

She added: “They’ve been exposed to lots of different sports.”

They later posted on X: “A pleasure to meet with players supported by the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust ahead of today’s match in Cardiff.”

The same message was also posted in Welsh alongside pictures from the event.

The royal couple spoke with the former players about their rugby careers and how they are continuing to enjoy the game.

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On arriving at the stadium, they met the 3rd Battalion The Royal Welsh’s Goat Major and mascot, Lance Corporal Shenkin.

They were also introduced to Morfudd Meredith, the Lord Lieutenant of South Glamorgan, Terry Cobner, president, Richard Collier-Keywood, chairman, and chief executive Abi Tierney, all of the Welsh Rugby Union, and Rob Udwin, president of the Rugby Football Union.

The pre-match engagement turned into a family affair as the Waleses told how their children are continuing their own rugby training.

Wales were defeated by England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with the final score 14-68.

Apart from the rugby, Saturday’s match holds additional interest for the Prince because of its takeaway food packaging.

The Principality Stadium is now one of the sports arenas signed up to swap single-use plastics for Notpla seaweed packaging.

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Notpla was one of the 2022 winners of the Earthshot Prize, which the Prince launched with the Royal Foundation in 2021. The company now works in partnership with caterers Levy UK & Ireland to replace more than 750,000 single-use plastic food containers with ones made of biodegradable seaweed.

The Prince and Princess will both be seen on public engagements in the coming week. The Prince will visit Estonia for a two-day trip with the Mercian Regiment, and the Princess will visit the Irish Guards in London on Monday to mark St Patrick’s Day.

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2025

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