Royal fans have become accustomed to seeing members of the Royal Family at high-profile sports events. For instance, Princess Kate and Prince William regularly attend Wimbledon, and Princess Charlotte has started accompanying her parents to certain engagements. However, a flurry of royal fans expressed their disappointment after several senior royals were absent from major sporting events this weekend.
On Saturday, September 27, Kate Middleton paid tribute to England's women's rugby union team, who beat Australia in the Women's Rugby World Cup. As the Princess of Wales is the royal patron of the Rugby Football Union, fans anticipated her attending the game—which took place at Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, London—in person.
When the Prince and Princess of Wales's official X account shared a message congratulating the women's rugby team, fans were quick to respond. "Well done to England's Roses today on their World Cup win," one X user wrote. "Just a shame that the Princess of Wales, as their patron, was unable to be there today. Also, there is no representation from the government."
Kate made a solo appearance at a women's rugby game on Sept. 6, 2025.
Another critic added, "How come Lazy Kate didn't go to Red Roses rugby final? It would have been easy PR for her."
An additional commenter referenced Princess Kate's visit to the Harry Potter film set with children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis on Sept. 26. They suggested that, if Kate visited the movie shoot, she could have easily attended a rugby game the next day.
Someone else alleged that the Royal Family's absence from England's important rugby match suggested they weren't true supporters. "Don't believe Kate cares for women's sport when she misses the England women's rugby team winning the World Cup," one user explained. "They don't care one bit."
However, one X user stepped in to defend the Princess of Wales, writing, "They might have a good reason. You don't know about the personal problems of people. We are all humans."
Kate attending a women's rugby match on Sept. 6, 2025.
Obviously, members of the general public have no idea what the Prince and Princess of Wales might have had scheduled over the weekend, preventing them from attending any sporting events. As a result, it seems unlikely that Princess Kate is any less dedicated to her patronages, particularly as the couple shared personal messages of support following the competition.
