Kate Middleton put her sports skills to the test on Wednesday as she ran through a series of rugby drills. She was visiting an England rugby club to discuss childhood development with a number of players.
The princess’ sporty engagement won over fans. They took to social media to point out the contrast between the pared-down look worn on the rugby pitch and her glittering appearance at the Jordanian royal wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa last week.
Kate’s visit to the Maidenhead Rugby Club in Berkshire, England, on June 7 was made in her capacity as patron of the Rugby Football Union. She took over the role from Prince Harry when he stepped down as a working royal and moved to California in 2020.
The princess discussed with male rugby players her recently launched early years campaign, Shaping Us. It aims to raise awareness of the importance of early development in children.
During her visit, the princess took part in a game of walking touch-rugby. For the event, she made a pared-down appearance in an athleisure ensemble. She wore a pair of chic blue pants, an England rugby teal blue top, and white Lululemon Chargefeel sneakers.
Fans of the princess were quick to post widely shared videos from the engagement to social-media platforms, including a TikTok video published by account princesscatherine_.
The clip is titled “she can do both, or she can do everything.” It shows side-by-side footage of the princess at the sports engagement and the Jordanian royal wedding, and has been viewed over 120,000 times in 24 hours.
Kate made a previously unannounced appearance at the royal wedding alongside Prince William on June 1 in Jordan’s capital city, Amman. The couple, as Prince and Princess of Wales, have personal connections with the country: William is friends with Crown Prince Hussein, and Kate lived in the country for a period during her childhood.
The princess made two impactful fashion impressions during the wedding celebrations. For the ceremony itself at Zahran Palace, Kate debuted a couture pale-pink Elie Saab gown, conforming with the traditional form of modesty dress worn by women in Muslim countries.
For the evening reception, held at the Al Husseiniya Palace, Kate made a glittering impact in a pink sequined gown by one of her favorite designers Jenny Packham. The princess paired the dress with Queen Mary’s Lovers Knot tiara, formerly worn by Princess Diana. She also wore a pair of art-deco Cartier earrings, which were given as a wedding present to Queen Elizabeth II in 1947 by her parents.
The viral TikTok video has received in excess of 15,000 likes and a number of comments, many of which have praised Kate and her style at royal engagements.
“Love seeing her active in supporting sports,” wrote one user of her rugby appearance.
“She is pure style and class!! From beautiful elegant Princess to fun sporty lady!!” posted another, with a further comment reading: “Beautiful whatever she is doing … Go Kate.”
The princess has seen the number of high-profile royal events she has attended increase over the past year. This was due mainly to the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. That saw Kate elevated to the Princess of Wales title formerly held by Queen Camilla (though she did not use it) and, before her, Princess Diana.
Prior to the Jordanian royal wedding, Kate had attended the coronation of King Charles and Camilla at Westminster Abbey in London on May 6. The princess wore a custom gown by the design team at Alexander McQueen. It featured the embroidered floral emblems of the countries comprising the United Kingdom.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek’s royal reporter based in London. You can find him on Twitter at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek’s The Royals Facebook page.
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