What you need to know
Duchess Kate is ringing in the new year by boasting about Prince William.
It has been revealed that the Princess of Wales’ first solo royal engagement will take place in 2026, when she will host a reception for the England women’s rugby team at Windsor Castle to celebrate their World Cup victory in September 2025.
Duchess Kate, who has been patron of the Rugby Football Union since 2022, will host the team, captained by Zoe Aldcroft, on Thursday, January 15. Before meeting the princess, players and staff will be given a tour of the royal residence, where they will be shown the Rugby World Cup trophy and pose for a group photo.
Duchess Kate’s role as England rugby patron – which she assumed when Prince Harry’s former patronage was redistributed after Harry and Meghan stepped down from their roles as working royals – will put her in direct conflict with Prince William, the patron of Welsh rugby union.
At last year’s Rugby World Cup, Kate cheered on England vs. Australia, while William cheered on Wales vs. Fiji, and they even watched two different games on the same day.
Princess Kate, 44, is currently dominating the casual sports competition. England are the 2025 World Cup winners and remain the top-ranked women’s rugby team in the world, while Wales failed to make it past the pool stages last year and are currently ranked 12th in the world.
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Duchess Kate also has the support of the royal family’s own rugby expert. Mike Tindall, who is married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara, played professional rugby from 1997 to 2014. His career included 11 years with the England national team, winning the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
These days, Mike hosts the podcast ‘The Good, the Bad and the Rugby’ with former player James Haskell and British sports presenter Alex Payne. So when Kate attended a training session at Twickenham Stadium to begin her role as England Rugby patron in 2022, they had something to consider.
“She seems like a more natural rugby player than the two of them combined,” Alex teased Mike and James.
Mike admitted he had to agree, even though he wanted more ammunition to join his family’s group chat.
“I texted Elise (Genge) and said, ‘Mate, tell me anything she screwed up,’ so I can reach out to her on my family WhatsApp group,” Mike said jokingly. “And he said, ‘No, she was actually pretty good and she kicked really well,’ and I thought, (sigh). But she has a competitive nature.”
In the end, Mike said he was happy to have a rivalry added to the royal family.
“The best thing would be to move to England and Wales and get the Battle of Cambridge,” he said, referring to Prince William and Duchess Kate’s previous titles as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
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The rugby rally at Windsor Castle will be Duchess Kate’s first solo royal engagement of the year, but she kicked off 2026 with a joint outing with Prince William, 43. The couple visited healthcare workers at London’s Charing Cross Hospital on January 8 and spoke to staff and volunteers about the pressures they face during the winter virus season.
