Kate Middleton takes over Prince Harry's royal patronages ahead of his tell-all memoir

The Duchess of Cambridge will take on Prince Harry's patronage of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Rugby Football League (RFL).

• Kate Middleton will reportedly take on Prince Harry's rugby patronages after the Queen stripped him and Duchess Meghan of their royal patronages in February
• The Duchess of Cambridge will become patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Rugby Football League (RFL).
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Kate Middleton will reportedly take on Prince Harry's former rugby patronages after the Queen stripped him of the title (opens in new tab) in February following his decision to step down as a senior working royal. (opens in new tab)

The Duchess of Cambridge will become patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Rugby Football League (RFL), according to The Sunday Times, with the news expected to be announced in the coming months before the rugby league World Cup in October and November.

Sports fan Kate is already royal patron of the All England Lawn and Tennis Croquet Club, the Lawn Tennis Association, SportsAid and the 1851 Trust, which aims to inspire and educate young people through sport.

Kate is also a huge fan of rugby, with her sister Pippa Middleton (opens in new tab) previously revealing to Vanity Fair magazine in 2014: "Picture the scene. It’s Saturday afternoon in the Middleton household. The atmosphere is heavy with expectation.

"All eyes are on the television ... we’re watching England play Ireland in the 1996 Five Nations Rugby tournament ... Rugby was a big thing in our family, and the focal point was international matches ... We’d plan our weekends around the matches ... 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."

Prince Harry – who has signed a publishing deal with Penguin Random House for four books, including a tell-all memoir about his life as a royal – was vice-patron of the RFU and RFL from 2010 until 2016, when he then took over as patron from the Queen, who held the role for 64 years.

He was officially stripped of his title and all his royal patronages, alongside Duchess Meghan, in February, after they confirmed they would not return to the UK as working royals.