Kate Middleton and Prince William at Friendly Odds During Wales vs England Rugby Match

Kate Middleton and Prince William at Friendly Odds During Wales vs England Rugby Match

public united front. That unity gave way just a bit on Saturday—but don’t panic or go full Stephen Colbert, as it was all in fun. The pair found themselves on opposite sides at the Wales vs. England Six Nations Match this weekend, with William backing the Welsh team and Kate backing the athletes representing England.

As one might have guessed from his title as the prince of Wales, William is the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, and therefore headed into Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales with a single goal: to cheer the Dragons on to victory. Meanwhile, Kate Middleton has been the patron of England’s Rugby Football League since 2022, when she took the job over from Prince Harry after he and wife Meghan Markle (who now goes by Meghan Sussex) stepped away from royal duties.

As you might recall, Queen Elizabeth’s decision to name Kate the team’s patron was celebrated with an enthusiastic post on the Princess’s Instagram account. “I am so thrilled to become Patron of the Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union—two fantastic organizations who are committed to harnessing the power that sport can have in bringing communities together and helping individuals flourish,” she wrote at the time. “I look forward to working with them across all levels of the games, and to cheering England on in what promises to be an exciting year for both sports!”

Though the role was granted to Kate by the queen, cheering for the Red Roses was a staple of the Middleton household, sister Pippa Middleton told Vanity Fair in 2014. “Rugby was a big thing in our family, and the focal point was international matches, which were often played on Saturday afternoons and were as much social as sporting occasions,” she said then.