Princess Charlotte Shares This Trait with Her Mom, Princess Kate

Princess Charlotte and Kate Middleton practice archery together, with Charlotte shooting a bow and arrow

(Image credit: Getty)

published 10 June 2023

Like mother, like daughter—Princess Charlotte, the only daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales, is apparently “very competitive” like her mother Kate, People reports.

This week, Kate took part in some rugby drills at the Maidenhead Rugby Club, where she revealed that she regularly plays the sport with her three children in their backyard. (In addition to Charlotte, Kate is mom to Prince George and Prince Louis.)

“She regularly plays rugby in the back garden with the children,” said Nigel Gillingham, president of the governing body of the sport in England, the Rugby Football Union. “She plays all sports with them.”

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Kate Middleton playing rugby at an engagement

And, in addition to being naturally athletic like her mom, Charlotte also inherited Kate’s competitiveness: “Apparently Charlotte is very much in her mold—very competitive as well,” Gillingham said.

Kate is patron of the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union and has revealed in the past that George is tall—not incredibly surprising, considering his parents are both tall, as well—and that “he has the physique.”

Prince William has described Charlotte as a “budding star” in soccer, but the eight-year-old revealed herself that her favorite sport is not rugby, or soccer, but actually gymnastics, a fact she let slip while attending the Commonwealth Games with her parents last summer.

“She really, really loved seeing the swimming, but she’s interested in the gymnastics, and while they’re trying lots of different sports at home, I understand, when I asked her about sport she answered very easily and said, ‘It’s gymnastics that I like,’” said Tim Lawler, the chief executive of Sports Aid, according to Hello.

Kate has also said, per The Daily Mail, “Charlotte spends most of her time upside-down, doing handstands and cartwheels.”

Kate Middleton puts her hands on her chest while playing rugby

Kate is athletic and competitive, and even though her team lost during her visit to the Maidenhead Rugby Club, Steven Bough, chairman of the club, said “She’s obviously been practicing. Her ball skills and passing skills are very good. She was there, blending in, playing as one of the team. To be honest, I didn’t realize she was there half the time.”

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.