SUPPORT OUR JOURNALISM: Please consider donating to keep our website running and free for all - thank you!

Monaco

Princess Charlene and Prince Albert celebrate at the Rugby World Cup with a hug

Princess Charlene of Monaco couldn’t contain her happiness as her one of her home teams won a famous sporting victory.

Few had expected South Africa to retain the Rugby World Cup before the tournament began last month. But a close fought 12-11 victory over New Zealand saw the Springboks triumph once more.

Embed from Getty Images

Princess Charlene, who spent much of her childhood in South Africa and who represented the country at the Olympics, cheered and clapped as her team took the win.

As the final whistle went, she stood up with both arms in the air. Her husband, Prince Albert, looked jubilant at his wife’s show of happiess.

Embed from Getty Images

The two hugged as the victory sank in. They had watched the match at the Stade de France in Paris.

They chatted happily with French President, Emmanuel Macron, who later took part in the prize giving ceremony which saw South Africa hold the Webb Ellis trophy aloft once more.

Embed from Getty Images

Later, the royal couple spent time congratulating the team at the stadium.

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene had also attended the semi final match a week earlier.

The Rugby World Cup has seen plenty of royal attendance over the past weeks. Prince William travelled to support Wales, taking Prince George with him for one match. The Princess of Wales was there for two crucial matches for England while the Princess Royal was there to cheer on Scotland.

"; n.innerHTML = "window._taboola = window._taboola || [];_taboola.push({mode:'thumbnails-a', container:'taboola-below-article-thumbnails', placement:'Below Article Thumbnails', target_type: 'mix'});"; insertAfter(t, e); insertAfter(n, t) }injectWidgetByMarker('tbmarker');

About author

Lydia Starbuck is Jubilee and Associate Editor at Royal Central and the main producer and presenter of the Royal Central Podcast and Royal Central Extra. Lydia is also a pen name of June Woolerton who is a journalist and writer with over twenty years experience in TV, radio, print and online. Her latest book, A History of British Royal Jubilees, is out now. Her new book, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, will be published in March 2024. June is an award winning reporter, producer and editor. She's appeared on outlets including BBC 5 Live, BBC Radio Ulster and BBC Local Radio and has also helped set up a commercial radio station. June is also an accomplished writer with a wide range of material published online and in print. She is the author of two novels, published as e-books. She is also a marriage registrar and ceremony celebrant.