Prince George "Hasn't Tackled" Kate Middleton During Rugby Practice

Britain's Prince George of Cambridge (L) talks to his mother Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge as they attend the Six Nations international rugby union match between England and Wales at Twickenham Stadium, west London

(Image credit: Getty/ADRIAN DENNIS)

published 1 March 2022

The most avid royal fans will already know that the Cambridges attended a very controversial rugby match this past weekend.

They traveled to Twickenham Stadium in London to watch the England v. Wales Six Nations match, and brought Prince George along with them as a surprise. It was controversial because the Duke of Cambridge is patron to the Welsh Rugby Union, while his wife the Duchess of Cambridge was recently appointed patron to the English Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union.

Ahead of the game, Prince George was asked what side he was on, to which he shrugged, smile, and deferred to his dad. "It's become quite the thing in the house," Prince William explained. He then pointed at Kate Middleton, saying, "She is quite into it, I'm trying to stay out of it." (The duchess is famously competitive, as she damn well should be.)

Middleton then asked her son to tell the reporters about his rugby practice at school. "He has all the kit," she said ("kit" is British for "gear," as in clothes).

George has apparently been learning how to tackle, and said to his mom, "But I haven't tackled you yet!" OMG, LOL.

The duchess laughed and said, "Yes you have!" Hmm, so who's lying??

In the game, Middleton emerged victorious thanks to a 23-19 England win, so she can carry on gloating to her husband at home. Plus, it's not just her team that has mad skills: She's apparently also a pretty gifted rugby player, according to Mike Tindall (who is himself a former pro). I have no doubt George will take after his mom.

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.