Prince William presents Grand Slam to Wales
Prince William after presenting the Grand Slam trophy to Wales
After an action-packed finale to the Six-Nations Tournament at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Prince William, Patron of Welsh rugby, presented the Championship trophy to a victorious Welsh team this afternoon.
The Welsh side compehensively defeated France, following victories over the other four nations in the tournament.
Excellent news and my congratulations to the team from Wales!
By Gigi on March 15th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
I read that William was booed when he appeared on the screen? Does anybody know why?
By Isana on March 16th, 2008 at 10:36 am
Isana, William is known to be a fanatical England rugby supporter, so his title as Patron of Welsh rugby puts him in an awkward position. Some in the crowd gave him a reminder. I’m sure it was lighthearted banter — the Welsh were ecstatic over their Grand Slam title.
By John on March 16th, 2008 at 11:24 am
The photo makes it look as though he’d rather be anywhere but there!
By On the Outside on March 16th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
Yes, “Where’s Kate when you need her?”
By John on March 16th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Prince William does look a bit subdued in the photo, I admit. Shame on the Welsh for booing him, however, even if it was meant in fun. Royal Patronage is highly sought after and the Welsch Rugby team is quite lucky to have as their Royal Patron the Prince who will one day be Prince of Wales and then King.
By Gigi on March 16th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
It’s probably a generational thing, Gigi. William is most likely around the same age as the average rugby player and is considered “one of the boys.” The booing was just good natured ribbing by the Welsh team. I doubt The Duke of Edinburgh would have been booed if he were the Patron of Welsh rugby.
By Arthur on March 16th, 2008 at 9:22 pm
Good point, Arthur.
By Gigi on March 17th, 2008 at 12:31 am
Oh how tiresome some royal duties are. Imagine being booed because you not only are English but an England fan too.
By Trudie on March 17th, 2008 at 12:58 am
I agree, Trudie. First of all, no matter how well-intended, the Welsh fans were booing the man who will be Prince of Wales and King one day. Bad form! Further, he is their Royal Patron, for heaven’s sake. Someone needs to recollect and behave more appropriately and in my opinion, Arthur’s point notwithstanding, it is the Welsh fans who need to mend their ways.
By Gigi on March 17th, 2008 at 1:27 am
John, am having trouble leaving a comment, after clicking Submit it came up with an error message and my comment was lost
By Royalist on March 17th, 2008 at 9:16 am
I will try again
Gigi, I completely agree with you, to boo a member of the RF whether in fun or otherwise is very rude. To clarify the situation PW is Vice Patron of the Welsh RFU (the Patron is the Queen) being appointed last February and as was known at the time he and Prince Harry are strong supporters of the England team. Despite this in this time he has supported Wales by appearing at 4 Wales matches at the Millenium Stadium at Cardiff. I just wonder in view of Saturday’s reception whether he will take time out from his very busy schedule to suport them again?
By Royalist on March 17th, 2008 at 9:31 am
The supporters may have meant it in a good natured way but still it can’t have been nice to be on the receiving end of crowd-booing.
But may be the reason I, Gigi, Trudie and (I’m guessing) Royalist are upset by it is that we are women and just don’t get it.
William probably understood the humour and laughed.
I thought men and women had more or less the same sense of humour before i started going to rugby matches but during matches the crowd would be cracking up over something and I would have seen the same incident and not got the joke at all.
Chances are it was meant in good spirits as rugby supporters have the reputation of being ‘polite boys’!
Alternatively, maybe the joke was they thought he would jiinx the grand slam, wasn’t there talk that he brought England bad luck at the World Cup as opposed to Harry who was their lucky mascot.
Who knows I’m only a lowly girl, what would I know about manly sports!
By Eliza on March 17th, 2008 at 10:54 am
Royalist, you probably hit the button when there was a heavy load on the server. RA does get heavy traffic at certain times of the day.
In terms of William’s reception, I always felt it was wrong of both Harry and Wills so openly to support England rugby and the English cricket team in the Ashes. One day, William could be King of Australia and Canada, not to mention Wales and Scotland.
That partisanship always boded trouble for them. The Queen is punctiliously neutral between all her realms.
By John on March 17th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Eliza, you put your finger on a very interesting point. Men’s humour during sporting events like rugby is distinctly gallows. Man’s sports are a substitute for war remember, so the opposition is given very little consideration. But like stags, who never kill each other when fighting for females, there’s a code of honour which men recognize. After the game, they shake hands and have a few beers together.
William would have understood the very mild booing he got when he came onto the field, although he may not have liked it.
By John on March 17th, 2008 at 11:05 am
Sorry to upset you Eliza but I am a male.I am a keen rugby supporter, and my local club is Leicester Tigers. At home matches there is much mixing of home and away supporters which are ‘daggers drawn’ during the match but at the end its a clap on the shoulder and a beer or two together in the club house. This works the same when I go to away matches.
Rugby is just as you said John a substitute for warfare which includes a code of honour which men understand but women dont, having said that I do like to watch womens rugby.
What are things like in the US with American Football which is similar to Rugby?
It didn’t prevent me being annoyed at this mindless booing.
By Royalist on March 17th, 2008 at 11:39 am
Royalist, I’m not upset at all I was just guessing! And I guessed wrong!
I didn’t mean to slight the fairer sex in my previous comment I was merely pointing out the huomour differences.
I have to stand up for my own kind and say that we do understand fighting tooth and nail and then not holding a grudge when the day is done. In my profession I do it everyday so I won’t let it slide by that women hold on to things where men don’t.
I was talking about the humour.
As for the battlelines drawn and then codes of honour; I think it comes from playing competitive games as children and teenagers, and traditionly boys played sport more but that has changed and it can only be good for women in there everyday lives. I think sport is very good in that way as it teaches to be assertive but not aggressive or unsportsmanlike.
By the way Happy St Patricks Day!
Of course the church celebrated it on Saturday because you can’t celebrate any saint during Holy week but we still have our bank holiday today and all the parades are on today.
By Eliza on March 17th, 2008 at 11:58 am
Happy Saint Patrick’s Day to you, too, Eliza! Here we celebrated Saint Patrick’s Day a week ago, so as not to conflict with Saint Joseph’s Day which was Saturday the 15th. Then the shamrocks, harps and other green decorations came down and the Easter decorations went up in our home. The Church in America asked the city fathers in Boston, Chicago and NY to move the SPD parades and hold them earlier, but I have not heard if they complied.
By Gigi on March 17th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
And a pint of Guinness and a Jamieson chaser to everyone with a shamrock in their buttonhole. They don’t grow them over here so I’m making do with a four-leaf clover.
By John on March 17th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Sadly, Gigi, New York and Boston did not move their St. Patrick’s Day parades out of Holy Week. New York’s parade is underway as I write this and Boston held their parade yesterday, Palm Sunday. Both Cardinal Egan of New York and Cardinal O’Malley of Boston said the parades were civic events and not under Church jurisdiction. Consequently, neither prelate interfered with the parade’s schedule in their respective cities. I don’t know what Chicago decided to do about their parade.
Erin go Bragh!
By Arthur on March 17th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
Were William and Jecca really that close? I always assumed they had more like a summer fling during his gap year and that “mock engagement” was just a joke between friends really. The article doesn’t really say whether they’ll be going toegther or whether it’s just coincidence that Jecca will bethere at the same time.
By Isana on March 17th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Thanks for the information, Arthur. Both New York and Boston should be ashamed of themselves, as it is equally inappropriate to hold the parade on Palm Sunday! It sounds as if cultural concerns have trumped religious foundation and significance, which is a great mistake. Regarding Chicago, have we any posters from the Windy City who could look out their windows and see if the river is dyed green, as it always is on Saint Patrick’s Day?
By Gigi on March 17th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
Sorry my comment was meant for the other thread. Just ignore it please.
By Isana on March 17th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
No problem, Isana, we all get the threads mixed up and no one minds at all. Regarding Chicago, I should have checked my email before posting. Chicago held it’s SPD parade on Saturday, March 15, (which is also the Feast of Saint Joseph), with the river dyed green, to comply with the request of the Church. I am very pleased with Chicago and very put out with Boston and New York!
By Gigi on March 17th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
william does look like a bit “bored’ cant imagine having to be “on” like that all the time even when they are not on official outings…probably wishes he was hanging out with kate somewhere..
By coni on March 17th, 2008 at 7:36 pm
I reckon it was hard to look pleased when you feel like you’re not wanted.
It is a pity that he couldn’t have been part of the celebration because it was a really big deal to win the Grand Slam, while the Six Nations championship has to be won every year i.e. one country has the most points, the Grand Slam is only won if you beat everyone, so it was a major deal for Wales and should have been an occasion for William to bond with them.
By Eliza on March 17th, 2008 at 8:01 pm