King Charles has sent a message to both England’s Red Roses and the Canadian team ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup final on Saturday evening. Throughout this tournament alone, the British royal family has stepped out on multiple occasions to support their respective teams, with Prince William watching the Welsh team play Fiji in Exeter and Princess Kate going to The American Express Stadium to support the Red Roses as they faced off against the Australian team. This marks the first time the King himself has addressed the team this year, after his ‘healing’ moment with the New Zealand team last year.

In his statement, King Charles said: “My wife and I send our warmest good wishes to both the England Red Roses and Canada Women’s Rugby Team as you prepare for your World Cup final. What a remarkable achievement for both teams to have reached this pinnacle of the sport. I know that supporters on both sides of the Atlantic will be cheering with equal and tremendous pride.”

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He concluded the message: “May the best team win, and may you both play with the spirit of sportsmanship, determination and true grit that makes rugby such a wonderful game to watch. Whatever the result, you have already done your countries proud. Good luck to you all. Charles R.”

The Women’s Rugby World Cup final

After winning 32 games, the England women’s rugby team is currently ranked number one in the world, and after beating France last week, progressed to the final. Meanwhile, Canada’s victory against the New Zealand team got them to the final stage.

Previously, the English team had played in eight World Cup finals, winning in 1994 and then in 2014, against their opponents in this year’s final. Led by captain Zoe Alcroft, they will take to the pitch one last time on Saturday at 4pm, at the legendary Twickenham Stadium.

The royal grandchildren’s love for sport

King Charles, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, have expressed their support for the teams during this tournament – but the next generation of British royals is shaping up to be just as sports-loving.

Prince George often comes to watch Aston Villa and England football matches alongside his father, and Princess Charlotte attended the final of the UEFA Women’s Euros, where the Lionesses won against the Spanish team. She also appeared at Wimbledon with her mother this year.

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Royal biographer Robert Jobson has told HELLO! that he believes the Prince and Princess of Wales have passed down their sporty passions:”The Wales family are sport-mad and William and Catherine have clearly passed on their passion to their kids, so we’ve seen George and Charlotte popping up at major sporting events in a way we’ve not seen in previous generations of the royal family.”

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Talking about Charlotte’s future in the royal family, he said: “There is no rush for Charlotte to take on a royal role, but there will be roles to fill in future. We know that she’s quite sporty and she likes her ballet, so I would have thought that she might eventually take on patronages relating to sports, like her parents, and dance, like her late grandmother Princess Diana.”