The Duchess Wears Holland Cooper for Rugby Match

This afternoon, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George had a family day watching England vs. Wales at the Six Nations rugby match.

Rebecca English of the Daily Mail posted a video of the royals as they arrived. 

Can’t quite believe how tall #PrinceGeorge is getting pic.twitter.com/7L9APu5mov

— Rebecca English (@RE_DailyMail) February 26, 2022

The couple and Prince George as they arrived at Twickenham Stadium today.

You see the couple being greeted by Jeff Blackett, the Rugby Football Union president, and Gerald Davies, the Welsh Rugby Union president.

Many readers will remember just a few weeks ago when it was announced the Duchess is the royal patron of the England Rugby Union and the Rugby Football League.

 Below, the Duchess at a February 2 training session at Twickenham Stadium, the site of today’s match.

This is the first match the Duchess attended in her new role. Prince William has been patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016, so today’s match created a little inter-family rivalry. Here you see the scene at Twickenham Stadium just before the match.

Today’s announced attendance was 81,629. 

The national anthem. 

And a video as the anthem is sung.  

Great to have The Duchess of Cambridge, Patron of the Rugby Football Union, and The Duke of Cambridge, Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union at Twickenham today. #ENGvWAL pic.twitter.com/pD2wMG32Ai

— England Rugby (@EnglandRugby) February 26, 2022

A view of the royals as the match got underway. 

Here you see the Duchess speaking with Jeff Blackett, president of the Rugby Football Union, and his wife, Sally Blackett. 

On the Duke’s right, Gerald Davies, president of the Welsh Rugby Union, and his wife, Cilla.  

More from this story in the Mirror by Russell Myers. 

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge went head to head with their sporting rivalry today at the England vs Wales match at Twickenham, taking Prince George along with them, who admitted he has “tackled” his mother playing rugby.

During her first engagement earlier this month with members of the England teams, Kate said of her rivalry with William: “We’re terribly competitive.

The fact we’re now supporting two different teams is going to make things interesting.” She also revealed that Prince George, 8, Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3, were “all enjoying” playing rugby, with Louis adopting a “kamikaze” style of play with his siblings.

Roya Nikkhah reports, “The Duchess of Cambridge says George is practising his rugby tackling on her and Louis “loves the kit” and has started taking his referee whistle to nursery. William says the sporting rivalry has become “quite the thing in the house” but he’s “trying to stay out of it.

More from The Telegraph’s story: 

“It’s a big game”, said William. “We’re excited. It’s just so good to be back, it’s been quite weird watching games, and football, without the fans.”

George said he had been playing rugby at his school, Thomas’s Battersea, turning to his mother to say: “But I haven’t tackled you yet!” Kate laughed and said: “Yes you have!”

The Duchess pointing something out to Prince George.

When the match ended, England came out the victor. 

And now for our look at what Kate wore to the rugby. 

We begin with the Knightsbridge Coat (£449, roughly $600 at today’s exchange rates) by Holland Cooper, a double-breasted style with a fitted silhouette.

The garment is done in 100% wool with a houndstooth pattern. It features peak lapels, a back vent, flap pockets, and gold buttons. According to the product description, it is hand-cut and made entirely in England using wool woven in the UK. 

We saw the return of the Tusting Mini Holly Bag ($420) in taupe leather, first carried for a September RAF visit.

The Duchess wore her Gianvito Rossi Piper 85 pumps ($695) in black suede.  

She also brought back her Twisted Circle Drop Earrings (£5, now sold out) by Accessorize. 

UPDATE MARCH 2, 2022: The Duchess also wore a small pin, the England Rose Rugby Pin. Hers is goldtone, not silver like the example I show below left. (I was unable to find an image of the piece in goldtone metal.)

I think she may have been wearing the England Rugby Fan Scarf ($15.75). 

For the record, Prince William carried a Wales scarf. 

One more photo from the day. 

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Two more updates today. The first involves Tuesday’s diplomatic reception: it has been postponed again.

And now for today’s other topic, the upcoming Caribbean tour. We have a few more details on the upcoming tour, which is only three weeks away. The couple will travel to Belize first, then go to Jamaica, and then spend two days in the Bahamas before heading back to London. Here is a map showing the primary locations and dates the royals will be there.   

Saturday, March 19 – Sunday, March 27: 

• BELIZE MARCH 19 – 22: The couple arrives in Belize. While there, they “will visit historic Mayan sites and celebrate the rich culture of the Garifuna community as well as exploring the country’s biodiversity” per a Kensington Palace news release.

• JAMAICA MARCH 22 – 24: The royals will be “engaging with the Jamaican Defence Force and celebrating the seminal legacy of Bob Marley and other ground-breaking Jamaican musicians alongside some of tomorrow’s stars.”

• BAHAMAS MARCH 24 – 26: The royals will “spend time with communities across a number of islands and experience a world-famous junkanoo parade.”

In a post on social media, the Duke and Duchess said: “We are so excited to visit Belize, Jamaica and The Bahamas next month as we mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. We can’t wait to meet people in all three countries, celebrate local cultures and understand more about innovative work being done across communities.”

I will have a more detailed post about the tour in the next week – ten days. 

VIDEOS: 

The Royal Family Channel offers 3+ minutes of coverage.