Kate Middleton sports rugby gear as she REPLACES Prince Harry in huge role

Kate Middleton rocked the ultimate sporty look in a brand new Instagram video shared to confirm that she is taking over one of Prince Harry's biggest royal roles. 

• Kate Middleton has been made Patron of the Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union - taking over from Prince Harry.
• The Duchess of Cambridge has shared her delight at the new role which will put her in direct competition with her husband Prince William who is a patron at the Welsh Rugby Union.
• This royal news (opens in new tab) comes as it was revealed Prince Harry is determined to return to the UK so Archie and Lilibet aren’t ‘robbed’ of Royal Family life (opens in new tab).

Kate Middleton has replaced Prince Harry as Patron of the Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union and confirmed her huge new royal role in a new video montage.

The Duchess of Cambridge has shown her sporty side in a video launching her new royal role in which she can be seen passing a rugby ball to other players who compete across all levels of the games.

Kate shared her delight at the news to her followers on Instagram when she captioned the clip, 'I am so thrilled to become Patron of the Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union – two fantastic organisations who are committed to harnessing the power that sport can have in bringing communities together and helping individuals flourish.

"I look forward to working with them across all levels of the games, and to cheering England on in what promises to be an exciting year for both sports! C."

And despite previous reports that Kate would be taking over Prince Harry's royal patronages (opens in new tab), fans are delighted with the surprising new role.

One fan put, "Love this! You have so many hidden talents 💜."

Another wrote, "She just does everything so well. Future Queen."

"That ball spin was cool! I love her sporty side," one more chipped in to add.

The footage shows Kate showing off her moves, spinning a rugby ball on the end of her finger for a couple of rotations.

The Duchess isn't the only royal to have an interest in the sport, Zara Tindall's husband Mike is a former English Rugby Union player and no doubt will be able to give Kate some pointers should she need it.

Prince Harry gave up the role when he relinquished his royal working duties in 2020 when he and his wife Meghan Markle stepped back (opens in new tab) from the royal family.

Kate was given the huge role by the Queen, with Kensington Palace saying that sporting appointments “closely align with Her Royal Highness’ long-standing passion for sport and the lifelong benefits it can provide”.

Ralph Rimmer, Chief Executive of the Rugby Football League said, “We are truly honoured by the appointment of The Duchess of Cambridge as the Rugby Football League’s Royal Patron.

“We are delighted to welcome her as we prepare to host Men’s, Women’s, Wheelchair and Physical Disability Rugby League World Cups in England this autumn.

He added, "Our sport’s history has been built on a commitment to tackling inequalities and we honour that through our focus on having a positive social impact well beyond the pitch.

“We look forward to working with The Duchess in the years to come, and I know all levels of our sport will welcome her to the Rugby League family.”

Kate showed her support for ball sports when she attended the Euros 2020 football matches at Wembley alongside Prince William and their son Prince George (opens in new tab), eight. And Kate is likely to get all their kids, including Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis - into the sport.

Bill Sweeney, chief executive of the RFU added, “It is a great honour to welcome the Duchess of Cambridge as our patron.

“As rugby clubs have reopened across the country, players, officials, and volunteers are celebrating being back in the game together, and we know the support of the duchess will be greatly valued from our grassroots clubs and fast-growing women and girls’ game, right up to our elite men’s and women’s England teams.”

News of Kate's role comes ahead of the Six Nations tournament, which begins this weekend.