What Role Is Kate Middleton Taking On That Formerly Belonged To Prince Harry?
Kate Middleton just took over a couple of duties that previously belonged to her brother-in-law, Prince Harry. As royal watchers will already know, Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, made the decision to take a step back from the royal family in January 2020 and made the big move to Canada with their son, Archie, before then settling in California. The two then welcomed their daughter, Lilibet, in the California sunshine in June.
In a message posted to their @SussexRoyal Instagram account, which Harry and Meghan no longer use after stepping back, the two claimed they made the decision "after many months of reflection and internal discussions" and also shared their plans to "work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen."
Around a year later Harry and Meghan confirmed they had no plans to return to their roles in the royal family, at which time Buckingham Palace confirmed in a February statement the two would lose their roles as royal patrons to various charities. Buckingham Palace stated there'd been "conversations" between Harry and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, but made it clear that "the honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess [would] be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family."
Well, now it's been revealed which of Harry's former duties The Duchess of Cambridge will be adding to her workload. Scroll on to find out.
Kate Middleton took over a sporty honor from Prince Harry
Kate Middleton just landed herself the role of patron of the England Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League according to The Times, who claimed Kate's new patron roles will be officially announced ahead of the rugby league World Cup in the fall. Prince Harry previously received the honorary role of England Rugby Foundation patron back in 2016 after taking over from the queen herself, who held the title for an impressive 64 years. Harry became patron of the Rugby Football League a year later in 2017 (per Daily Mail).
As for Kate, we know she's been a big sports fan for many years and has been vocal about her desire to get young people interested in various sporting activities. Kate opened up about her "love" for sport while speaking at SportsAid's 40th Anniversary dinner in June 2016, as she's also a patron for SportsAid.
"I love cheering on teams and athletes that I am passionate about. I love the physical challenge sport presents and the mental strength it gives us all, and I love the way it so often brings people together to work as part of a team," she said (per E! News). The royal has been spotted taking part in a number of sports games as well as watching them, including taking son George to soccer matches alongside Prince William.
We can't wait to see what more good Kate brings to the world with her new role!