The Prince and Princess of Wales were joined by all three of their children for a family outing to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where Prince Louis delighted royal fans with a rare public appearance.
William and Kate, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland, sat with Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis and Prince George at the Hydro arena for a netball semi-final. Eight-year-old Louis looked enthralled as he watched the second semi-final in the women's competition, between Jamaica and Australia.
A surprise appearance on the penultimate day
The royal family's visit came on the penultimate day of the games, with the closing ceremony due to take place on Sunday. Alongside netball, Saturday's schedule included athletics, boxing and judo.
The games, affectionately known as the “friendly games,” have been attended in recent days by the Duke of Edinburgh, vice patron of Commonwealth Sport, and his wife.
King and Queen in a Tardis
Earlier in the event, the King and Queen emerged from a Tardis at the Hydro arena during the opening ceremony. The light-hearted moment was reminiscent of London 2012, when Queen Elizabeth II appeared to skydive into the Olympic Stadium alongside actor Daniel Craig.
The opening ceremony in Glasgow was the first to be held indoors as part of a radical restructuring of the games' finances after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew as host in 2023, citing spiralling costs.
Glasgow steps in
The future of the event, which originated as the British Empire Games in 1930, had been in doubt until Glasgow was convinced to step in and reprise its hosting role from 2014, albeit with significant alterations.
William and Kate will also spend time with athletes whose careers have been supported by the charity SportsAid, of which Kate has been patron since 2013, and meet emerging talent taking part in the Team England Futures project.
Charity legacy
Sporting stars whose early promise was boosted by SportsAid include Sir Chris Hoy, Ellie Simmonds, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Tom Daley.
Team England Futures has given talented young athletes and aspiring support staff the opportunity to attend the Glasgow games to gain behind-the-scenes experience in preparation for potential medal-winning performances as Team England, Team GB or ParalympicsGB debutants.
