Kate Middleton Is Taking Over These Royal Responsibilities That Were Once Prince Harry’s Role

Kate Middleton has stepped up in really unique ways this year when it comes to her senior role. Whether it’s a surprising openness on social media or her and Prince William’s measures to embrace their more relatable side, this next move might be a big one — taking on the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League.

The shift comes as Prince Harry’s former jobs are reallocated after he departed his senior role in 2020, and giving these particular responsibilities to Kate versus William speaks to a newfound approach by the palace. According to The Times, the official announcement will come during the rugby league World Cup later this fall. She is expected to lead the “Inner Warrior” campaign, which is designed “to help clubs recruit female players” and “encourage more women and girls to play rugby,” per the England Rugby website.

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And the Duchess of Cambridge grew up in a household that regularly watched rugby matches, so this is not unfamiliar territory to her. Her sister, Pippa Middleton, reminisced what those days were like in a 2014 Vanity Fair article. “Rugby was a big thing for our family, and the focal point was international matches, which were often played on Saturday afternoons and were as much social as sporting occasions,” she wrote. “We’d plan our weekends around the big matches, a quick bite to eat at halftime or lunch on our laps, typically a chicken pot pie or something equally cozy and English. If we lost, my dad would be in a state of despair for the rest of the afternoon, as if he’d actually lost the game himself.”

Those family traditions will likely continue as Kate becomes the face of the RFU and RFL, and we might get a few Princess Charlotte sightings at the matches. It’s the perfect way to introduce a new sport to the next generation of young athletes.

Before you go, click here to see things you never knew about Kate Middleton before she met Prince William.