The Princess of Wales welcomed England's Red Roses to Windsor Castle on Tuesday to celebrate their Rugby World Cup victory, beaming in a scarlet trouser suit as the trophy took centre stage.
Kate, 44, who is patron of the Rugby Football Union, hosted the women's rugby squad after their 33-13 final win over Canada in front of a record 81,885 spectators at Twickenham last autumn. The victory marked England's third World Cup title, following triumphs in 2014 and 1994.
During the reception, Kate revealed that her children play rugby at home. “I wouldn’t want to be tackled by George,” she said, adding that Prince George, 12, and Prince Louis, seven, play at school, while Princess Charlotte, ten, joins in family games. She noted that schools often do not segregate sports by age, saying, “They shouldn’t necessarily need to pigeonhole boys and girls in particular sports too early.”
The team's coach broke down en route, cancelling a planned tour of Windsor Castle. Kate joked about sore heads from the previous night's celebration ball at the Grosvenor Hotel in London. “Any sore heads this morning?” she asked to laughter.
Captain Zoe Stratford presented Kate with a signed England shirt and a medal, while prop Maud Muir showed a scrapbook of her World Cup journey. Ellie Kildunne recalled Kate gamely wearing a cowboy hat at a match, performing a “cowboy dance” that became a team tradition. “She’s now officially a cowboy,” Ellie said.
Many players were honoured in the New Year Honours, including Zoe Stratford, Marlie Packer, John Mitchell, Megan Jones, Sadia Kabeya and Ellie Kildunne. Kate praised the team for inspiring a new generation, saying, “You’ve really shown how accessible rugby is to so many types of girls.”
