Prince William and Princess of Wales’ next overseas trip could see old rivalries rise to the surface

Prince William and Princess of Wales’ next overseas trip could see rivalries rise to the surface as they’re set to attend two prominent events. 

• The Prince and Princess of Wales are reportedly set to travel to France this weekend to watch two major sporting events.
• Prince William and Kate support different sides and they’ve previously spoken about their friendly rivalry when it comes to matches.
• This royal news comes as Prince Harry's latest outings showcased a major shift as he flipped from “adult” to “child” states. 

It seems like a long time since fans last caught a glimpse of the Prince and Princess of Wales undertaking engagements as the couple have enjoyed private time with Prince George, Charlotte and Louis since their school summer holidays started in July. Prince William and Kate were expected to spend part of this extended break at Balmoral Castle with King Charles and Queen Camilla. 

The Wales kids are set to return to school on 6th September and the future King and Queen Consort have another exciting upcoming trip to look forward to. But it’s one that could become a little more "tense" depending on the outcome of two crucial events…

Ahead of the Prince of Wales' exciting solo trip to New York later this month, Prince William and the Princess of Wales’ next overseas trip will reportedly be to France. Unlike King Charles and Queen Camilla who’ll be there from 20th September for a State Visit, the Prince and Princess of Wales will be there for one of the year’s biggest sporting events.

According to The Telegraph, Prince William and Kate are set to visit France this weekend to cheer on the men’s Rugby teams in the Rugby World Cup 2023. As Patron of Welsh Rugby, Prince William will reportedly watch the Welsh team in their opening-round match against Fiji on Sunday, 10th September. 

Meanwhile the Princess of Wales, who's Patron of England's governing body for rugby union, the Rugby Football Union, will support England in their opening-round match against Argentina on Saturday, 9th September. 

The two matches are being held in different parts of France - Bordeaux and Marseilles. So it seems like Prince William and Kate’s trip won’t be the kind of joint visit we typically see from them and they’ll be apart for most of the weekend. As supporters of opposite sides in the World Cup it’s also possible friendly rivalries could arise between the couple.

When England and Wales played each other in the Six Nations tournament this year, the couple went to see the match in Cardiff. Prince William joked ahead of the match that if Wales won, he’d be experiencing a “tense” car ride home with Kate.

“It’s going to be a tense car journey home for whoever wins. If we win today my wife won’t speak to me. It will be a tense evening,” he light-heartedly declared, as per The Telegraph.

The Prince of Wales had also previously hinted at Kate’s competitive nature back in 2022 when they watched another Six Nations match with Prince George. Asked who he was supporting, the young Prince shrugged and Prince William supposedly responded, “It's become quite the thing in the house” and pointed at Kate, adding, “She is quite into it, I'm trying to stay out of it."

In the last Rugby World Cup England came second and Wales came fourth, so both Prince William and the Princess of Wales will no doubt be hoping for an even better result for the teams this year in France as they prepare to watch the opening round matches.