Surprise! Prince George Joins Parents Kate Middleton and Prince William for Rugby Match

Prince William Prince George Kate Middleton

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 27 February 2022

The first ever Battle of the Cambridges took place yesterday–and it was the Duchess of Cambridge that emerged victorious.

Earlier this year, Kate took over as patron of England’s Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union–the first of her brother-in-law Prince Harry’s patronages to be redistributed after his resignation as a working royal. Prince William has been patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016. And yesterday, for the first time since Kate’s new appointment, England and Wales squared off and England emerged victorious, 23-19.

And the Cambridges brought a very special guest along with them for the Six Nations matchup at Twickenham Stadium–eldest son Prince George, who got the chance to practice his rugby refereeing skills, PEOPLE reports.

The Sunday Times’ editor Roya Nikkhah was on hand for the event, and she revealed in a Tweet that Kate said George takes out his “rugby tackling” on her, while George’s little brother Prince Louis already “loves the kit” and has “started taking his referee whistle to nursery.”

This isn’t the first time William and Kate have brought George along for a sporting event. The Cambridge trio watched England play soccer in the Euro 2020 final last July, as well.

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.