Prince George was the surprise guest of honour on Saturday afternoon, joining his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Twickenham Stadium for the Six Nations Championships. And at the age of eight, he got an early lesson in the art of royal diplomacy by keeping his allegiances in the crunch game to himself.
William, who is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, and Kate, who is the new patron of the Rugby Football Union, were announced to attend the match between their rival teams last week, though their oldest son’s attendance was not revealed ahead of time.
Speaking with rugby officials from both unions ahead of the match, Kate revealed that Prince George had started playing the sport at school and that “He has all the kit.” Prince George then chimed in and said that he is learning to tackle, “But I haven’t tackled you yet!”
Kate laughed and replied: “Yes you have!”
William told the officials, “We’re excited. It’s just so good to be back, it’s been quite weird watching games, and football, without the fans.” Saturday’s match was the first time in 721 days that Twickenham had hosted a Six Nations match, according to England Rugby’s official website.
Prince George also shrugged off the opportunity to tell officials which team he’d be cheering on, but looked up at his father, who answered for him that sports watching is a competitive activity in their house, and that Kate “is quite into it, I’m trying to stay out of it.”
William and Kate wore scarves for their respective teams, but Prince George’s jacket was unadorned with any team identifiers.
Talking to the press afterwards, Lieutenant Commander Kirsty Marlor of the Rugby Football Union said: “I get the impression he’s yet to choose a team. I asked him which position he plays but I don’t think he’s got one yet. It is such an honour to have them all here today supporting the teams and a fantastic surprise to see George. The duchess was talking about how interested she is in the community game, which is so great to hear.”
William has been patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016. Kate’s announcement as patron of the Rugby Football Union came earlier this month. To round things out, Princess Anne is patron of the Scottish Rugby Union.
