The Queen has handed over new duties to the Duchess of Cambridge following Prince Harry's departure from royal responsibilities.
Kate Middleton has now taken over the Duke of Sussex's former roles as patrol of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and the Rugby Football League (RFL).
As Hull Live reports, the Duchess was given the royal patronages by The Queen, and Kensington Palace said the high-profile sporting appointments “closely align with Her Royal Highness’ long-standing passion for sport and the lifelong benefits it can provide”.
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This marks the first duty to be handed down from Prince Harry and Kate is the first member of the royal family to officially receive one.
The news comes ahead of the start of the Guinness Six Nations tournament this weekend and will see Kate’s new affiliations put her in direct competition with the Duke of Cambridge, who is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.
Since Prince Harry was relieved from his royal duties after stepping down, a 12-month review took place and it has been long reported that Kate was seen as a safe pair of hands by The Queen and was set to take on the responsibilities.
The Duke of Sussex was a passionate rugby fan who celebrated with England in 2003 when they won the rugby union World Cup.
Taking over the roles from his grandmother, the Prince also acted as RFU patron since 2016 and patron of RFL since 2017.
Kate, 40, is also known for her love of sport. She is already the royal patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon, the Lawn Tennis Association, SportsAid and the 1851 Trust.
The RFU and RFL both welcomed the honour of Kate’s appointment.
RFU chief executive Bill Sweeney said: “We know the support of the duchess will be greatly valued from our grassroots clubs and fast-growing women and girls’ game, right up to our elite men’s and women’s England teams.”
Chief executive of the RFL Ralph Rimmer said: “We look forward to working with the duchess in the years to come and I know all levels of our sport will welcome her to the rugby league family.”
