Kate Middleton put on an animated show as she chatted with French dignitaries after watching England play Argentina in the Rugby World Cup in Marseille on Saturday.
The Princess of Wales, 41, met with French Secretary of State for Urban Affairs Sabrina Agresti-Roubache and Renaud Muselier, president of the regional council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur.
After watching England beat the South American team, the royal – dressed in a £1,945 recycled white Alexander McQueen suit – held hands and chatted with both politicians.
Writing on Twitter, Ms Agresti-Roubache said: ‘I had the honor of welcoming Her Royal Highness, Princess of Wales Kate Middleton, who is also Patron of the English Rugby Federation.
‘A beautiful moment of exchange to commemorate the friendship that connects our two peoples’.
Kate Middleton put on an animated show as she chatted with French dignitaries after watching England play Argentina in the Rugby World Cup in Marseille on Saturday. Pictured with Renaud Muselier, President of the Regional Council of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur
The Princess of Wales, 41, met with French Secretary of State for Urban Affairs Sabrina Agresti-Roubache after watching England beat Argentina
Later, Mr Muselier added: “Very honored to have met Her Royal Highness Kate Middleton, The Princess of Wales, on the sidelines of the #AngleterreArgentine match.
‘Welcome to France for our British friends, during this World Cup #rwc2023’.
The Princess of Wales is clearly popular in France and was cheered by a crowd of 60,000 as she watched England beat Argentina 27-10.
Kate stood in the stands and appeared in good spirits as she chatted with World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont ahead of the match at the Stade de Marseille.
The royal mother-of-three opted for her £1,945 white Alexander McQueen blazer and matching trousers.
She complemented her suit with a dazzling jewelry set that she first wore for Princess Charlotte’s christening in 2015 – including her £3,750 pair of Mappin & Webb ‘Empress’ diamond carriage earrings and a matching £2,000 Empress mini white gold and diamond pendant necklace.
Stunning footage from the event showed the crowd erupting in rapturous applause and cheers for Kate as she appeared in the stadiums. Kate seemed surprised and delighted by the reaction.
Kate, patron of the Rugby Football Union, watched the match without husband William, patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.
The Princess of Wales looked radiant and elegant in a white ensemble as she watched England play Argentina at the Rugby World Cup in France
Kate stood in the stands and appeared in good spirits as she chatted with World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont before the match at the Stade de Marseille, France
Catherine, Princess of Wales and Patron of the England Rugby Football Union (RFU) shakes hands with England’s Alex Mitchell in the dressing room after their victory over Argentina
William attended Wales’ opening match against Fiji in Bordeaux on Sunday.
The royal sporting revelations came to light with the release of a special Rugby World Cup edition of the former England international’s podcast: The Good, the Bad and the Rugby.
In the 50-minute episode, the Prince and Princess of Wales and Anne, the Princess Royal – patrons of Welsh, English and Scottish rugby respectively – talk to Tindall, the husband of Anne’s daughter Zara, and co-presenters James Haskell and Alex Payne in the green drawing room of Windsor Castle.
The recording, which was filmed on Wednesday, revealed some of the royal family’s sporting secrets.
As patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, it’s no surprise that Kate enjoys playing the sport in her spare time – sometimes even recruiting her husband as her opponent.
The princess said she believes her competitive nature is thanks to her parents, Carole and Michael Middleton. She said: ‘If I asked both my parents, ‘Who is the most competitive?’ they would argue for a long time about who is the most competitive and who is the most athletic.’
William also discussed the important lesson he hopes his children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five, will learn while playing team sports.
Speaking about the skills you pick up during ‘those early years of team sport’, he said: ‘Learning to lose is something I think we need to focus on more these days.
“I don’t think people know how to lose well. When we talk about our children in particular, I want to make sure they understand that.
“I think it’s really important to understand from a young age how to lose, and why we lose, and grow from that and what you learn from that process.
‘But also to win well, and not to brag. There are so many life lessons that help us throughout life, in building friendships, in building relationships, in the workplace, that you learn from those early years of team sports.”
Then it was Kate’s turn to explain why she loved team sports, while Mike joked, “I’m not going to say you’re really competitive… (but) I’ve seen her play beer pong.”