The Princess of Wales Kate Middleton is known to be a big rugby fan and she once threw herself into a training session at Twickenham – even after she received a cheeky warning from a player as they practised their skills The Princess of Wales is known to throw herself into challenges when out on sporty engagements. So when she was once offered the chance to show off her rugby prowess at a training session at Twickenham last year, she jumped at the opportunity, despite receiving a cheeky warning from one of her fellow players – which led to her very surprised reaction.
It came just hours after Kate was named the new patron of the English Rugby Football Union (RFU) and she joined a group of players to practice a line-out that involved her being hoisted into the air. One of the players seemed embarrassed as she warned Kate that she would have to place her hands on her bum in order to perform the lift. She cheekily said they just “wanted to make you aware” before carrying out the move. And during the demonstration, she jokingly let out a surprised “Oooh” as she was lifted up into the air. The player then profusely apologised, saying: “Oh, I’m so sorry” before Kate and her host burst into another round of laughter.
Today Kate might get the opportunity to show off her rugby skills once more as she is due to head to Hull to take part in a Rugby League Inclusivity Day in her other role as patron of the Rugby Football League. The visit will highlight the importance of Disability Rugby League and why it is so important to those who play it. During the engagement, Kate will try her hand at wheelchair rugby as well as Physical Disability Rugby League, which is a running version of the game designed for those who have physical disabilities.
Kate revealed last year that she had taken on the two royal rugby patron roles, which were previously held by Prince Harry. He had to give them up when he and wife Meghan Markle stepped down as working royals. She has attended several England international matches and just last month travelled to France to watch England take on Argentina in the Rugby World Cup opening match in Marseille.
The princess is a long-time supporter of rugby and a known lover of a number of sports, a passion represented by her patronages of sports charities. Majesty Magazine editor-in-chief Ingrid Seward said: “By the time she left school, she could do practically any sport there was. She’s very athletic – much more than William. He is a very good swimmer like his mum, a rider and he played football and water polo.”
