Kate, Princess of Wales, appeared in high spirits as she hosted a reception for England’s wheelchair rugby league team at Hampton Court Palace. The royal congratulated the team for their triumph at the 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup.
Held in England, the tournament was meant to take place in November two years ago but, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was postponed by one year.
The English squad won the competition after beating France 28-24 in the final held on November 18 2022.
Kate is known to have been a keen rugby fan since her youth, as revealed by her sister Pippa Middleton.
The Princess’ younger sibling previously said: “Rugby was a big thing for our family. The focal point was international matches.”
Prior to last February, Kate had often been spotted wearing Wales’ colour and cheering for the Welsh Rugby Union alongside Prince William, who became its patron in 2016.
Last year, however, it was announced the Princess of Wales had been appointed as the patron of both the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League.
These roles had been previously held by Prince Harry, who had to return his royal and military patronages to the late Queen after he confirmed neither he nor the Duchess of Sussex had the intention to return to the royal fold as full-time working members of the Firm.
Kate marked the announcement with a visit to Twickenham Stadium, where she actively took part in a special training session with both the male and female squads.
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She has since been seen cheering for England and going head-to-head with her husband in matches where her team was tackling the Welsh one.
This reception marks the second solo engagement Kate has been undertaking this week.
On Wednesday, the royal visited a nursery in Luton as part of her legacy-making work on the early years and commitment to spreading awareness on the importance of early childhood development.
During the engagement, the Princess met staff at the nursery and engaged in activities with toddlers, including learning the Chinese alphabet and playing with a sandpit.
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During that visit, the royal looked “unfazed” by the claims and criticism included in Prince Harry’s memoir, according to body language and behavioural expert Darren Stanton.
Speaking on behalf of Betfair Bingo, Mr Stanton said: “I don’t believe the release of Prince Harry’s new book has had a profound effect on Kate.
“From her body language, she appears totally at ease and isn’t showing any signs of distress or frustration. In fact, she’s even more confident as usual.
“She is clearly focused on the task at hand and wants to do the very best for the venue she is attending. While some people may expect them to be fazed, it’s business as usual for Kate and William!
“Kate has definitely entered a whole new phase of confidence since stepping into her senior role within the Royal Family.
“It has been interesting to see her developments over the past decade, as she used to appear quite timid and ever so slightly intimidated by engagements. Now, she’s happy to attend either alone, rather than with William or other members of the Royal Family.”
