Kate Middleton is showcasing her moves while her brother-in-law is in court.
On Wednesday, the Princess of Wales played rugby at the Maidenhead Rugby Club before speaking with the players about their childhoods.
The 41-year-old, whose primary cause is highlighting the importance of early childhood development, is raising awareness on Shaping Us. The initiative aims to educate about how to nurture children.
In early 2022, the princess took over as patron of the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union. The role originally belonged to Prince Harry before he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped back from their roles as senior royals in 2020.
Kate Middleton smiles as she takes part in drills on the pitch during her visit to Maidenhead Rugby Club on June 7, 2023, in Maidenhead, England. The princess of Wales is visiting the rugby club to discuss the Shaping Us campaign and the role the community plays in supporting children. (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
For her latest royal visit, the mother of three was joined by Shaping Us champion Ugo Monye, a former England rugby professional, People magazine reported. The wife of Prince William was also joined by other professional players, as well as Si Trower, the founder of Brave Mind. The outlet noted that the charity works with rugby clubs and schools as part of its goal to support mental health within local communities.
Since taking over Harry’s role, Middleton has embraced her position. Soon after the announcement was made, she joined a training session with several rugby players at Twickenham Stadium. William, who is heir to the British throne, supports the Welsh Rugby Union as their patron.
Kate Middleton followed the royal motto of “keep calm and carry on” as her brother-in-law Prince Harry faced a second day of cross-examination at London’s High Court. (Getty Images)
For the casual royal engagement, Middleton sported a high ponytail and a blue t-shirt featuring a red rose – England’s rugby logo. She completed the look with slim navy pants and white sneakers. It was the second outing for the princess this week, who attended a gathering at Windsor Family Hub with moms and their children on Tuesday.
Middleton has seemingly been following the royal motto “keep calm and carry on” as Harry moves forward with his latest legal battle. The 38-year-old made a second appearance at London’s High Court on Wednesday in his case against the publisher of the Daily Mirror. He is suing the publisher for allegedly using unlawful techniques “on an industrial scale” to score front-page scoops on his life.
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Kate Middleton spends time with a child during a visit to the Windsor Family Hub on June 6, 2023, in Windsor, England. The Windsor Family Hub is run by Achieving for Children, a not-for-profit community interest company providing children’s services for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. (Chris Jackson – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
The case against Mirror Group is the first of the prince’s several lawsuits against the media to go to trial. It is one of three publishers he alleged unlawfully snooped on him for stories about the royal family.
On Tuesday, Harry underwent nearly five hours of questioning by Mirror Group Newspapers attorney Andrew Green. In a written witness statement released on Tuesday, Harry briefly mentioned his sister-in-law as among those he was “in regular contact and often exchanged voicemails with.” The case dates from 1996 to 2011.
“Catherine and my brother started dating in 2003,” Harry wrote. “We occasionally exchanged voicemails in which we discussed private and sensitive matters regarding our family and personal lives. We would also make plans for social arrangements over voicemail.”
According to Harry, the articles in question caused him to become depressed and paranoid, and distrustful of friends who he feared were feeding information to the media. His circle of friends shrank, relationships fell apart and he felt constantly in the glare of the journalists who were shaping the narrative of his life.
Prince Harry briefly mentioned the Princess of Wales in his lengthy written testimony that was released on Tuesday. (Victoria Jones – WPA Pool/Getty Images)
“I genuinely feel that in every relationship that I’ve ever had — be that with friends, girlfriends, with family or with the army, there’s always been a third party involved, namely the tabloid press,” Harry said in his witness statement.
Setting out the prince’s case, his lawyer, David Sherborne, said Monday that from Harry’s childhood, British newspapers used skullduggery to cover all facets of his life — from school injuries to experimenting with marijuana and cocaine, to ups and downs with girlfriends.
“Nothing was sacrosanct or out of bounds,” the lawyer said.
Green said Monday that there was “simply no evidence capable of supporting the finding that the Duke of Sussex was hacked, let alone on a habitual basis.”
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Prince Harry arrives to the Mirror Group Phone hacking trial at the Rolls Building at High Court on June 7, 2023, in London. Harry is one of several claimants in a lawsuit against Mirror Group Newspapers related to allegations of unlawful information gathering in previous decades. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
Mirror Group has paid more than 100 million pounds ($125 million) to settle hundreds of unlawful information-gathering claims and printed an apology to phone hacking victims in 2015.
Harry has detailed his fury towards the U.K. press in “Spare.” He has long blamed the paparazzi for causing the car crash that killed his mother in 1997. He also said intrusion by the U.K. press, including allegedly racist articles, led him and his wife to flee the country.
From left to right, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Prince William and Kate Middleton are seen here standing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2018. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back as senior royals in 2020. (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)
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Markle, a former American actress, became the Duchess of Sussex when she married the British prince in 2018. In 2020, the couple announced they were stepping back as senior royals. They now reside in California with their two young children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
