Prince William And Kate Middleton Get Less Than Warm Welcome From Celtics Fans
William, Prince of Wales, and his wife, Kate Middleton, are no doubt among the most recognizable members of the U.K. royal family. William is also well-known for being an avid sports fan; not only has he been seen playing a number of sports himself over the years — including football, polo, and rugby – but both he and Kate have been unafraid to show up at sports games throughout their many years as a (very popular) married couple. However, despite their love of sport, and their widespread popularity throughout the United Kingdom and world, there have been times when the future king and queen have been received less fondly.
This was arguably no clearer than at the end of November 2022, when the royal couple attended a basketball game in Boston. Although the Prince and Princess of Wales remain highly popular in America as well, they were nonetheless greeted with a chant which might not have served as the warmest welcome into America.
Prince William and Kate Middleton were met with chants of U.S.A.
On November 30, per Page Six, Prince William and Kate Middleton made a surprise appearance at the TD Garden arena in Boston, which hosted a basketball match between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. Although some of the audience greeted them kindly, they were also met with some boos and chants of "U.S.A." when their faces were projected onto the Jumbotron, alerting many audience members for the first time that the Prince and Princess of Wales were in the stadium.
Perhaps some of the adverse reaction to the couple was a result of the situation involving the Prince of Wales' brother, Prince Harry, and his American wife, Meghan Markle. Upon marrying Harry, Meghan was met with such extreme backlash, both from much of the U.K. public, as well as some members of the royal family itself, that they were forced to permanently relocate back to Meghan's native California, where they now reside. Over the years, there was even some speculation that Kate had a hand in Meghan's mistreatment, with Meghan herself even stating to Oprah (via Vogue Australia) that Kate made her cry. As one Twitter user put it, "That's what happens when you mess with OUR princess."
However, the royals appeared to take the mixed reaction in stride, and evidently did not let it affect them or their enjoyment of the rest of the game — which the Celtics won.