Prince William and Princess Kate set for friendly rivalry at public outing this weekend

The Prince and Princess of Wales are gearing up for a dose of friendly rivalry as England take on Wales in the final round of the 2025 Six Nations on Saturday. 

The couple, who are set to attend the hotly-anticipated match, will be supporting different teams as Prince William is the Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union while Princess Kate is Patron of the Rugby Football Union.

The rugby showdown will take place in Cardiff at the Principality Stadium, with play set to kick off at 4.45pm.

Before the match, the royal couple will meet injured players who are supported by the Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust inside the Sir Tasker Watkins Suite – a space at the Stadium which is dedicated for use by the injured players and their families ahead of matches.

The Welsh Rugby Charitable Trust was set up in 1972 as an organisation with a range of education, social and sporting objectives. The principal aim of the charity, however, has always been to support those players and their families who have been severely injured whilst playing rugby football in Wales.

All injured players are invited to every Wales home game and each year the WRU host a "Family Day" where the group can enjoy time together with their loved ones.

Princess Kate, 43, became the patron of England's Rugby Football Union and the Rugby Football League in 2022, taking over from Prince Harry.

William, meanwhile, has been patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016.

Back in February, the mother-of-three shared a rare personal message backing the England team ahead of their opening match at the Six Nations.

In a post shared to social media, Kate wrote: "Good luck to Steve, Maro and everyone involved with @englandrugby for your opening game of @sixnationsrugby against Ireland. C." 

Rugby has been a focal point in Kate's life since her childhood. In an interview with Vanity Fair, her sister Pippa revealed: "Rugby was a big thing for our family, and the focal point was international matches, which were often played on Saturday afternoons and were as much social as sporting occasions.

"We'd plan our weekends around the big matches, a quick bite to eat at halftime or lunch on our laps, typically a chicken pot pie or something equally cosy and English. If we lost, my dad would be in a state of despair for the rest of the afternoon, as if he'd actually lost the game himself."

The passion has been passed on to Kate and William's youngest son, Prince Louis, who is also said to be a fan of the sport. During a visit to Twickenham Stadium back in 2022, Kate explained how her two boys George and Louis are keen rugby players, saying: "They're all enjoying it, Louis is kamikaze, we're worrying about when he gets older, he'll be in the middle of everything." 

The group laughed and player Sarah Hunter joked: "That's perfect!"