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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Nick Forbes

Prince William and Kate watch Commonwealth Games with their children on family day out

The Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children made a public appearance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The royal couple, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland, brought Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, and Prince George to witness a netball semi-final match at the city's Hydro arena.

Their visit occurred on the penultimate day of the Games, ahead of the closing ceremony scheduled for Sunday.

Following the netball event, the family exited the arena, passing through lines of dedicated Games volunteers.

They subsequently met gold medal-winning para powerlifter Mark Swan and gymnast Reuben Ward on the concourse outside the venue.

The Commonwealth Games mascot, Finnie, also engaged with the royals, high-fiving George, Charlotte, and Louis, and sharing a fist-bump with the Princess of Wales.

Kate, Princess of Wales, and William, Prince of Wales speak with Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh as they sit with their children Princess Charlotte and Prince George in the audience to watch the track cycling (AP)
Kate, Princess of Wales, and William, Prince of Wales speak with Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh as they sit with their children Princess Charlotte and Prince George in the audience to watch the track cycling (AP)

The family were then cheered by the waiting crowds as they made their way to their waiting cars.

Ward, who won a gold medal while competing for Scotland, told Press Association: “Coming into the Games, I was just hoping for the best and hopefully I could get some medals.

“Being in a position where I’m being chosen to meet the Prince of Wales, it’s just a strange but incredible experience.”

Swan picked up a gold medal in the men’s para powerlifting competition.

Kate fist-bumps Commonwealth Games mascot Finnie (Jane Barlow/PA)
Kate fist-bumps Commonwealth Games mascot Finnie (Jane Barlow/PA)

Reflecting on the Games said: “Absolutely fantastic opportunity.

“Just everything, from gold medals to then meeting royalty – blown away.”

The family then headed to the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in the east end of the city, where they met Sir Chris himself and took in some of the action on the cycling track.

In recent days, the sporting event – affectionately known as the “friendly games” – has been attended by the Duke of Edinburgh, vice patron of Commonwealth Sport, which delivers the games, and his wife.

Earlier, the King and Queen emerged from a Tardis at the Hydro arena during the opening ceremony.

The light-hearted moment was reminiscent of London 2012 when Queen Elizabeth II appeared to skydive into the Olympic Stadium alongside James Bond actor Daniel Craig.

William and Kate were joined by their three children in Glasgow (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)
William and Kate were joined by their three children in Glasgow (Jane Barlow/PA) (PA Wire)

The opening ceremony in Glasgow was the first to be held indoors as part of a radical restructuring of the games’ finances after Australian state Victoria withdrew as host of the event in 2023, citing spiralling costs.

The future of the event, which originated as the British Empire Games in 1930, was in doubt until Glasgow was convinced to step in and reprise its hosting role from 2014, albeit with significant alterations.

William and Kate will also spend time with athletes competing at the games whose careers have been empowered by the charity SportsAid, which Kate has supported as patron since 2013, and meet emerging talent taking part in the Team England Futures project.

Sporting stars whose early promise was boosted by SportsAid include Sir Chris Hoy, Ellie Simmonds, Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill and Tom Daley.

Team England Futures has given talented young athletes and aspiring support staff the opportunity to attend the Glasgow games to gain behind-the-scenes experience in preparation for potential medal-winning performances as Team England, Team GB or ParalympicsGB debutants.

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