The Princess of Wales is currently enjoying a flying visit to France as she watched England triumph over Argentina in the first round of the Rugby World Cup.
Kate, who is patron of English Rugby, looked thrilled as England beat the South American nation 27-10 as she sat in the Presidential Box at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome. Ahead of the match, she spoke with RFU president Rob Briers, France 2023 chairman Jacques Rivoal and World Rugby chairman Sir Bill Beaumont.
Sharing her sadness about her fleeting visit, she told Sir Bill: “We’re [her and Prince William] really excited to be here. Shame we can’t be here longer,” before sharing her beliefs that the tournament would be “brilliant”.
Although the Princess has been joined by her husband, Prince William, for the first matches in the tournament, he was not with her for the match, which she attended in a solo visit. The Prince will make a solo visit to watch Wales play Fiji on Sunday.
© GettyKate clearly enjoyed the match, as photos saw her laughing with other guests, including Sir Bill, in the Presidential Box, as well as looking a little tense as Argentina managed to pick up three points early in the match.
The royal pair have been gearing up for the tournament all week, and they even joined Mike Tindall on his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby to talk about their love of sports.
© David RogersTaking part in a special recording in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, Kate and William joked about their competitive nature.”I don’t know where this has come from,” Kate sweetly joked, before adding: “I don’t think we’ve actually been able to finish a game of tennis. It becomes a mental challenge between the two of us,” with William confirming the pair try to “out mental” each other for the victory.
It’s been a whirlwind week for William and Kate, who made the journey to France shortly after their visit to West Wales. Pictured on Friday, the couple headed to St Davids RNLI Lifeboat Station in Pembrokeshire where they chatted with volunteers.
© CLEMENT MAHOUDEAUTheir appearance followed an emotional service, held earlier in the day, to commemorate the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
