Kate Middleton kicks off debut as Rugby Patron after taking role off Prince Harry

The Duchess of Cambridge has officially marked her patronage as the new royal face of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League; a role previously held by her brother-in-law Prince Harry. 

As rumoured last week, Kate, 40, was officially given the patronage by Queen Elizabeth. According to People, this marks the first of Prince Harry’s former patronages being redistributed to other members of the royal family since the Duke and Duchess stepped down from their roles as senior working royals. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@dukeandduchessofcambridge)

The Duchess visited Twickenham Stadium on Wednesday, February 2, and met England players from both the men’s and women’s squads.

The DailyMail reports that Kate looked “delighted to be stepping into her brother-in-law’s shoes and giggled, laughed and smiled” her way through the drills, led by head coach Eddie Jones. 

The Duchess, who is also known for her love of sports, was all smiles as she ran towards the try line and threw her arms up in celebration.

Wearing her hair in a swept-back, high ponytail, the mother-of-three was in her element as she tore across the pitch and even scored a try. 

This wouldn’t be the first time Kate showed off her rugby skills. During a trip to Paris in 2017, the Royal tossed a ball around with young players – in a dress and heels, no less! 

Also back in 2014, Kate’s younger sister, Pippa Middleton, revealed to Vanity Fair that rugby was a family-wide event growing up. 

“…Rugby was a big thing in our family, and the focal point was international matches … We’d plan our weekends around the matches … If we lost, my dad would be in a state of despair for the rest of the afternoon, as if he’d actually lost the game himself,” she told the publication. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@dukeandduchessofcambridge)

In an official social media clip released by Kensington Palace, the Duchess expressed how the two “fantastic” organisations “are committed to harnessing the power that sport can have in bringing communities together and helping individuals flourish…”

England Rugby was one of the organisations to thank Prince Harry for his support in February 2021, when the royal confirmed that he and the Duchess of Sussex would not be returning to their royal roles.