Princess Kate donned a cowboy hat and lasso danced while celebrating England Women’s Rugby team’s success after their victory in the World Cup.
The revelation came after Sports Personality of the Year nominee Ellie Kildunne joked with the Princess of Wales about the cowboy hat she wore when she joined the Red Roses in their dressing room.
She later said the princess and some players performed a cowboy lasso dance.
Ms Kildunne revealed: “She said: ‘Oh, [have you] forgotten your cowboy hat this time?’ I said: ‘It looks like you’re the one that’s forgotten the cowboy hat.
Ellie Kildunne (furthest left) made the revelation | PA
“When she came to watch the game after, I don’t really know the royal rules, and I didn’t know whether you’re not allowed to put a hat on, or I didn’t know, but she was a good sport.
“She put the hat on, she had a bit of a cowboy dance, and yeah, really special moment that she’s now officially a cowboy, so we’ll have to tattoo her as well soon.”
Kate, who is Patron of the Rugby Football Union, hosted the Red Roses at the royal residence to mark their historic achievement.
The reception honoured England’s commanding performance at Twickenham, where they claimed their third World Cup title with a comprehensive 33-13 victory against Canada.
The princess ‘put the hat on’ and ‘had a bit of a cowboy dance’ it has been revealed
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PA
A record-breaking attendance of 81,885 spectators witnessed the victory, which also saw John Mitchell’s side stretch their remarkable unbeaten run to 33 consecutive matches.
The squad members and coaching staff were treated to a guided tour of the historic castle before meeting the royal.
During the gathering, the players had the opportunity to present Kate with the Rugby World Cup trophy itself.
The celebration concluded with an official group photograph featuring the princess alongside the entire England contingent.
The Princess of Wales is Patron of the Rugby Football Union
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PA
The Windsor reception represented a fitting tribute to a team that overcame the disappointment of losing their previous two finals to New Zealand’s Black Ferns.
Their defeat to the Black Ferns three years prior had been England’s last loss before embarking on their record-breaking winning sequence.
England entered the final as tournament favourites and delivered a performance built on forward dominance and relentless defensive pressure.
The Red Roses fell behind early but responded spectacularly to seize control of the contest.
The celebration concluded with an official group photograph | PA
The victory marked England’s first World Cup triumph since 2014, when they also defeated Canada in the final to lift the trophy.
Canada had arrived at the final having convincingly beaten New Zealand in the semi-finals, with many observers suggesting they had produced the tournament’s finest rugby display.
The Canadians were also nearing completion of their million-dollar ‘Mission: Win Rugby World Cup’ fundraising campaign, designed to help them compete with better-resourced nations.
The triumph capped an outstanding year for English women’s sport, following the Lionesses’ successful defence of their European football Championship title in July.