The Prince and Princess of Wales are set to make a trip to France to show their support for England and Wales in the men’s Rugby World Cup, just a few weeks following criticism aimed at Prince William for missing the Lionesses’ historic final match.

Kate, who serves as the patron of the Rugby Football Union, will be in attendance at a group stage game between England and Argentina at the Stade de Marseille on the tournament’s first weekend. On the other hand, Prince William, who is the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, will be present to watch Wales compete against Fiji in another opening round match at the Stade de Bordeaux the following day.

This brief overseas royal excursion is aimed at backing the two men’s teams in the initial stage of the tournament and comes after Prince William faced backlash for not attending the Women’s England team’s World Cup football final against Spain in Sydney the previous month. The absence of the prince, who is also the president of the FA, was met with criticism, with some suggesting that it was inconceivable that he and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would not have traveled if it were the men’s team playing. Former England goalkeeper Pauline Cope expressed disappointment at the prince’s absence, given that it was the first time the Lionesses had reached the final of a World Cup and the first time an England football team had reached a World Cup final since the men’s side’s victory over West Germany in 1966.

Despite sending personal messages to the Lionesses after their heartbreaking 1-0 defeat, Prince William chose to watch the match in Norfolk rather than making the trip to Australia. Notably, no senior member of the British royal family attended the game, but Queen Letizia of Spain was present at the match with her 16-year-old daughter Infanta Sofia, both showing their support in patriotic attire.

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