Kate Middleton and Prince William Interrupt Their Spring Break with a Personal Message Tied to Their Rivalry

Helen MurphyFri, April 10, 2026 at 7:38 PM UTC

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Prince William and Kate Middleton attend a Six Nations match in 2025.Credit: Alastair Grant-WPA Pool/Getty -

Kate Middleton and Prince William shared a personal message on social media in support of the Women's Six Nations rugby championship

William has been the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016, while Kate took over patronage of the English Rugby Football Union in 2022

The note, signed with their initials, came while the Prince and Princess of Wales took time away from royal duty during their children's school break

Kate Middleton and Prince William are spending Easter break with their three children, but they made a quick return to social media to reignite their friendly rivalry.

The Prince and Princess of Wales stepped out with Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, over the weekend to celebrate Easter at a church service with other members of the royal family. However, they've scaled down their royal duties while their children are out of school this month to spend time together.

Despite being largely out of the public eye, the pair returned to social media with a personal note on Friday, April 10, for a special occasion.

"As the Women's Six Nations gets underway this weekend, wishing all the players and support staff the best of luck," William and Kate wrote a message posted to their social media channels. "Here's to an exciting start to the tournament and some unforgettable rugby." The message was signed with their first initials, W for William and C for Catherine, indicating that the note came directly from them.

The couple also added a pair of flag emojis — one Welsh and one English — to represent the rival teams they'll each be supporting in the tournament. Kate, 44, is a patron of the Rugby Football Union in England, while William, 43, serves as the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union in Wales.

Prince William has been the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016, while Princess Kate's patronage of the English Rugby Football Union is a more recent role. She took on the position in February 2022, after Prince Harry's former patronages were redistributed when he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their working roles within the royal family.

Prince William and Kate Middleton's Instagram Story on April 10.Credit: The Prince and Princess of Wales/Instagram

The women's tournament kicks off on Saturday. Both of the royals' teams will take the field that day: England will play Ireland, while Wales will take on Scotland. The reigning world champions, England, are looking for their eighth consecutive tournament win.

In September 2025, the pair stepped out for the Women's Rugby World Cup on the same day— but attended different matches. Princess Kate attended a match between England and Australia in East Sussex, England, while Prince William was seen at a game between Wales and Fiji in Exeter, England. In March 2025, they both attended a Wales vs. England Six Nations match.

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The couple has previously playfully acknowledged their rivalry. In 2023, they made a surprise appearance on the podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, which is hosted by Mike Tindall, a former rugby union player and the husband of Prince William's cousin Zara Tindall.

During the conversation, podcast cohost Alex Payne asked the couple whether it is difficult to maintain “the face of professionalism” and “neutrality” at sporting events, to which Kate replied, “It is really challenging, but watching sports live is like no other.”

“It is hard, particularly when Wales and England are playing against each other,” she added later, referencing her and her husband's playful rivalry.

“There's a certain amount of bravado that goes on around the Wales and England games, depending on who’s winning,” William added.

Prince William and Princess Kate on 'The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.'Credit: The Good, The Bad & The Rugby/YouTube

Kate and William share a love for rugby with their three children. During the podcast interview, Kate shared that Charlotte plays both rugby and football, which she said, “weren’t school sports when I was growing up.”

“Charlotte's playing both the sports now, and it's really good to see youngsters, particularly girls, playing these types of sports now,” Kate shared.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”