Prince George Makes Surprise Appearance At Rugby Game With Kate Middleton, Prince William

Kate Middleton and Prince William attended their first rugby rivalry with their eldest son, Prince George, over the weekend.

On Saturday, the Cambridges were in the stands at Twickenham Stadium in London for the England vs. Wales Six Nations game, which England won 23-19.

Prince George, 8, sported a red and navy Ralph Lauren polo-style down jacket, dark pants and matching shoes as he stood in between his mom and dad, who supported different teams during the match. The couple also shares Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince Louis, 3.

While Prince William has been the royal patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since 2016, Middleton is the patron of England's Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League—roles previously held by Prince Harry before he and wife Meghan Markle quit royal duties.

After the game, the duchess gushed over her son's athletic prowess when Prince George and his parents met with other game patrons.

Middleton said Prince George frequently enjoyed "rugby tackling her," while little brother Prince Louis already "loves the kit," according to The Sunday Times editor Roya Nikkhah, who was also in attendance at the event.

"The Duchess of Cambridge says George is practicing his rugby tackling on her and Louis 'loves the kit' and has started taking his referee whistle to [the] nursery. William says the sporting rivalry has become 'quite the thing in the house,' but he's 'trying to stay out of it,'" Nikkhah wrote on Twitter.

Royal fans reacted to Prince George's appearance at the game.

"Poor George just wants to play. He's gotta be in the reception line," one Twitter user wrote.

"Adorable and typical of a sporty family," another commented.

"This is so sweet. Love the portrait of family life with the Cambridges," another fan wrote.

"Always classy and what an awesome family!" a different supporter added.

Earlier this month, Middleton made her debut in her new rugby role by visiting Twickenham Stadium to meet players, coaches and referees from the men's and women's squads as they prepared for the Six Nations Championships.

The duchess joined a training session taking place on the field by head England coach Eddie Jones and participated in a line-out play, where a player can be hoisted in the air by their teammates to receive a ball after it goes out of the field of play.

Middleton announced her new role via Instagram, sharing that she was "thrilled" to be patron of "two fantastic organizations who are committed to harnessing the power that sport can have in bringing communities together and helping individuals flourish."

"I look forward to working with them across all levels of the games, and to cheering England on in what promises to be an exciting year for both sports!" she continued.

Mike Tindall, a former professional rugby player who married Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter Zara Tindall, later praised Middleton's skills on his podcast.

"I text Ellis [Genge] and said, 'Mate, please tell me anything she messed up on,' so I could sort of… family WhatsApp group, get to her," Mike said. "And he said, 'No, she was actually pretty good, and she was really good at kicking,' and I was like [sigh]. But she has this competitive nature."