Last month, the Princess of Wales shared a message of support for the team on X, writing, “Wishing the Red Roses the very best as they kick off their Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign tonight. I look forward to cheering you on and seeing the team rise to the challenge on home soil! C.” And rise they did: They were victorious over the United States team in that first round game.
England went on to beat Australia 47-7 in this weekend’s match, ranking first in Group A, and will face Scotland in the quarterfinals next weekend, though it is unknown whether Princess Kate will attend. She has limited her public engagements since being diagnosed with and treated for cancer, but her passion for the sport may lead her to decide to attend the England team’s next match as well. In July, the well-known tennis fan braved the heat to take in the Wimbledon finals.
The Princess grew up watching England rugby matches with her father, who is a big fan, and the rest of her family. As her sister Pippa told Vanity Fair in 2014, “Rugby was a big thing for our family, and the focal point was international matches, which were often played on Saturday afternoons and were as much social as sporting occasions. We’d plan our weekends around the big matches, a quick bite to eat at halftime or lunch on our laps, typically a chicken potpie or something equally cozy and English. 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.”
Originally published in Vanity Fair Spain.