Kate Middleton and Prince William at Friendly Odds During Wales vs England Rugby Match

Like many married couples, Kate Middleton and Prince William strive to present a public united front. That unity gave way just a bit on Saturday—but don’t panic or go full Stephen Colbert, as it was all in fun. The pair found themselves on opposite sides at the Wales vs. England Six Nations Match this weekend, with William backing the Welsh team and Kate backing the athletes representing England.

As one might have guessed from his title as the prince of Wales, William is the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, and therefore headed into Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales with a single goal: to cheer the Dragons on to victory. Meanwhile, Kate Middleton has been the patron of England’s Rugby Football League since 2022, when she took the job over from Prince Harry after he and wife Meghan Markle (who now goes by Meghan Sussex) stepped away from royal duties.

As you might recall, Queen Elizabeth’s decision to name Kate the team’s patron was celebrated with an enthusiastic post on the Princess’s Instagram account. “I am so thrilled to become Patron of the Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union—two fantastic organizations who are committed to harnessing the power that sport can have in bringing communities together and helping individuals flourish,” she wrote at the time. “I look forward to working with them across all levels of the games, and to cheering England on in what promises to be an exciting year for both sports!”

Though the role was granted to Kate by the queen, cheering for the Red Roses was a staple of the Middleton household, sister Pippa Middleton told Vanity Fair in 2014. “Rugby was a big thing in our family, and the focal point was international matches, which were often played on Saturday afternoons and were as much social as sporting occasions,” she said then.

Meanwhile, William has been the patron of the Welsh team since 2016, but rooted for the team even before then. In fact, the couple used to attend matches where they’d root for the same side, a tradition that ended with Kate’s position change a few years ago. No one said that being a royal was easy!

Those days when William and Kate were united in the stands might explain one of Kate’s accessories Saturday. As Hello! noted, the princess wore a pin depicting the English and Welsh flags crossed together on her lapel, typically a gesture intended to show support for both nations.

Before the match, Kate and William met with injured players who receive support from the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust. Speaking with the athletes, the couple suggested that this weekend wasn’t their first dominated by sports. “At weekends, we go from one competition to the next,” William said of their schedule, which is apparently filled by the activities of Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. “Louis is six and he’s just started touch rugby and George is 11 and he plays a bit more,” Kate told the players. “They do really enjoy it.”

Middleton’s support helped boost England to victory, with the team winning the match 14-68. After the game, Middleton ducked into the locker room to meet with some of England’s players and pose with the team. “Thank you for joining us today, Your Royal Highness,” the team said in a subsequent post on X (formerly Twitter), capping the note off with the emoji of a red rose.