Prince William, Kate Middleton’s plans for the Rugby World Cup revealed

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Prince William, Prince of Wales laugh during their visit to the Central Beacons Mountain Rescue on day one of their visit to Wales on April 27, 2023 in Merthyr Tydfil, Wales. Photo / Getty Images

The Prince and Princess of Wales will be rivals at the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

Kate Middleton and Prince William, both 41, are heading to France this weekend to cheer on different teams in the battle for the Webb Ellis Cup.

The couple’s office at Kensington Palace has revealed that Kate will be in Marseille on September 9 to watch the group stage match between England and Argentina, while William will be in Bordeaux on September 10 to support Wales as they take on Fiji.

President of French Rugby Federation Bernard Laporte, Prince William Catherine and President of Welsh Rugby Union Dennis Gethin attend the RBS 6 Nations rugby match between France and Wales in 2017. Photo / Getty Images

Their separate itineraries for the World Cup is not a shock. Kate is patron of the Rugby Football Union that governs the game in England, while the future King is a long-time patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.

The sporty couple love egging each other on with light-hearted banter when it comes to their supposed sports rivalry, especially when their teams’ successes are on the line.

The Prince and Princess of Wales are known to regularly play tennis in their spare time, as well as going head-to-head in sailing and other sports while on official engagements. In a standout moment, the pair took part in a regatta in the Bahamas during an official tour of the Caribbean in March 2022.

Catherine, Princess of Wales takes part in a game of walking touch rugby as she visits Maidenhead Rugby Club. Photo / Getty Images

Bahamas local Lissa McCombe revealed to People at the time just how “exciting” the royal’s sailing competition had been. “She had a really exciting time. She thoroughly enjoyed it,” McCombe told the publisher. “She said they nearly had a man overboard and she was at the tiller at the time — she had one hand on the tiller and one on the guy at the same time.”

Earlier this year, The Princess of Wales merged her passion for early years development - headed by her Shaping Us initiative - and the benefits of sport for mental health when she participated in training at a club in Berkshire, England.

While the royal’s team lost that day, the chairman of Maidenhead Rugby Club, Steven Bough, was impressed by her sportsman skills.

“She’s obviously been practicing. Her ball skills and passing skills are very good. She was there, blending in playing as one of the team,” he shared with People. “To be honest, I didn’t realise she was there half the time.”