The semifinals of the Rugby World Cup are here, but Kate Middleton isn't expected to attend England semifinal match-up today against South Africa.
The Princess of Wales, patron of England rugby organizations since February 2022, has attended two games of this Rugby World Cup so far: She was at a group stage match in September, and last weekend, was in the stands for England's quarterfinal victory against Fiji.
Yet, royal fans shouldn't expect Kate there today, as her children Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are on school break, and she's spending time off with them.
If England do win today, they will play in the finals on Saturday, October 28, and there's a chance the Princess of Wales will return to the Stade de France to cheer the team on. Yet, it's expected to be a tough match: South Africa are the reigning champions, and the match is a repeat of the 2019 finals, where England lost. (At the time, Prince Harry was patron of England rugby organizations, and he was in attendance for the finals.)
Perhaps they are playing some rugby as a family during their vacation; during an engagement at the Maidenhead Rugby Club earlier this year, Kate shared that she regularly plays rugby with her kids in their back garden. And, on a podcast hosted by Mike Tindall, the former English rugby player who married into the royal family, Kate revealed that Princess Charlotte plays rugby and soccer at school. "Charlotte's playing both the sports now, and it's really good to see youngsters, particularly girls, playing these types of sports now," the Princess of Wales said.
Though the Wales family may not be in attendance today, there's a good chance they'll be tuning in to the match on TV. After England's wheelchair rugby team played in the Rugby League World Cup, Kate told coach Tom Coyd that they had watched intently. Coyd, describing the Princess to Town & Country as a "great Patron for Rugby League and sport in the UK," recounted watching the finals with her family. "She was saying how her children were totally captured by the whole program. It was brilliant telly because the game went right down to the wire."
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram.
