The Princess of Wales wishes England rugby team good luck ahead of opening Six Nations match against Ireland

1 February 2025, 16:56

Kate is a royal patron of the Rugby Football Union while William, the Prince of Wales, is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.
Kate is a royal patron of the Rugby Football Union while William, the Prince of Wales, is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union. Picture: Getty

By Shannon Cook

The Princess of Wales penned a good luck message to the England rugby team ahead of their opening Six Nations match against Ireland.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Kate is a royal patron of the Rugby Football Union while William, the Prince of Wales, is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.

In a message shared on X, the princess sent her well wishes to the team's new captain, Maro Itoje, and head coach Steve Borthwick ahead of the match.

The princess wrote: "Good luck to Steve, Maro and everyone involved with @englandrugby for your opening game of @sixnationsrugby against Ireland. C".

Kate's message replied to a post from the England Rugby team's official X page, which revealed the line-up for the match taking place at Aviva Stadium, Dublin.

Read more:'It's a relief to now be in remission': Princess of Wales opens up about cancer treatment in surprise hospital visit

Read more: Rugby star Stuart Hogg avoids jail after admitting subjecting wife to five years of abuse

The couple have previously joked about supporting different teams during the Six Nations tournament, with William supporting Wales and Kate cheering on England.

During the 2023 tournament, William joked it would be a "tense journey home" with his wife after a Six Nations Wales vs England match in Cardiff.

Kate, who has been patron of Scottish rugby since 1986, attended the competition last year, where she greeted players at a match between Scotland and France ahead of kick-off.

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales, wait for the start of the Six Nations international rugby union match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, on February 25, 2023.
Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales, wait for the start of the Six Nations international rugby union match between Wales and England at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales, on February 25, 2023. Picture: Getty

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Abdirahman Ibrahim has been convicted of murder after driving into the back of Liam Jones

Killer driver mows down e-bike rider to 'teach him lesson' for doing wheelies

The Vatican says Pope Francis is being treated for 'bilateral pneumonia'

New scans show Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs but Vatican says he remains ‘in good spirits’

Meghan

Meghan Markle could face 'legal action' from Spanish town as her new luxury brand logo faces resemblance to coat of arms

The father of murdered schoolgirl Sara Sharif is reportedly being protected by a 'Muslim gang'

Sara Sharif's father protected by 'Muslim gang' in jail after being attacked with jagged tuna lid

Zhenhao Zou is accused of raping three women in London and 7 in China, whilst they were unconscious

PhD student 'discussed rape role-play' with alleged victim, trial hears

Exclusive
Senior Tories including Suella Braverman and Michael Gove have criticised the judge's comments

Senior Tories blast 'out of touch' judge for 'ludicrous attack' on Starmer’s migrant remarks

Shiri Bibas and her two young sons, Ariel and Kfir, died in an airstrike, Hamas said

Bodies of youngest Israeli hostage Kfir Bibas and his brother and mother to be handed over as family ‘in turmoil’

Lisa Smith, 43, was with a female friend when she was killed outside the Three Horseshoes pub in Knockholt, Kent

Man suspected of fatally shooting wife outside pub on Valentine's Day rang friend and said 'she's dead'

Carry On legend Julian Holloway dies aged 80

Carry On legend Julian Holloway dies aged 80 after 'brief illness' as tributes pour in

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned 'any appearance by armed forces under some other flag' in Ukraine would be 'completely unacceptable', in a dig at a peace plan floated by Keir Starmer.

Keir Starmer’s Ukraine peacekeeping plan ‘completely unacceptable’, Russia tells US in Saudi Arabia talks

Rita Lambourne, 58, was “fatally wounded” at her home in Bayencourt South, Bexhill

Man charged with axe murder of woman in own home

Lydia Mugambe is accused of taking 'advantage of her status'

UN judge ‘trafficked woman to UK to be her slave'

Anonymous posters have appeared in Hampstead Heath, a park in north London, calling for gay men to stop using the park for sex.

'Take back Hampstead Heath', dog walkers urged as posters appear calling for men to stop using park for sex

Gavin Nicholls was tackled to the ground by a plain-clothed officer outside the Co-op in Barnet

Moment serial shoplifter is tackled off e-scooter by police as he flees store in north London

The plane, which was carrying 80 people, slid down onto the icy runway at Toronto Pearson International Airport before bursting into flames

Horrifying video shows moment Delta plane crashes on tarmac and bursts into flames at Toronto airport

Healey's comments came following Russia-US Peake talks in Saudi Arabia.

UK facing 'new era of threat' from Russia, Defence Secretary says as he unveils ‘biggest military shake up in 50 years’