Kate Middleton's Rugby League message ahead of England's historic Wembley clash

The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, has sent a good luck message to England men's rugby league side ahead of their Ashes opener against Australia at Wembley Stadium

Kate Middleton has thrown her support behind England's rugby league side ahead of an historic occasion at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

Shaun Wane's side host Australia at 2.30pm in the first Ashes clash in 22 years as the sport's fiercest derby makes a long-awaited return. Rugby league's Ashes has not taken place since 2003, with the Covid-19 pandemic seeing the last edition sadly cancelled.

Now England will finally get a chance to avenge their defeat Down Under over two decades ago, with the record attendance for an England rugby league international set to be challenged at Wembley.

It's a huge occasion for the team and they will be delighted to have received the backing of the Princess of Wales, who is Patron of the Rugby Football Union.

READ MORE : Prince Andrew 'thinks King Charles has ulterior eviction motive that involves Queen Camilla'READ MORE : Kate Middleton broke royal tradition with surprise Prince George decision

Posting on social media, Kate wrote: "Wishing England the very best of luck in their first Rugby League Ashes campaign in 22 years. An exciting new chapter for the game begins at Wembley Stadium today. We are all behind you! C."

Kate has been the patron of the RFU since 2022 and has thrown herself into the role since, attending several matches while taking a keen interest in both codes.

She is familiar with many of England's players having attended their Rugby League World Cup quarter-final clash against Papua New Guinea at the DW Stadium in Wigan in 2022.

The 43-year-old is in the swing of things with rugby and the England-Australia rivalry, too, having been at England women's rugby union side's semi-final match against Australia at the Women's Rugby World Cup last month in Brighton.

She posed in a cowboy hat with some of the team, who went on to win the competition by beating Canada in the final after thrashing Australia 47-7 in the match she watched.

It will likely be a much closer encounter for England men's rugby league side on Saturday, with Australia posing a tough test. The hosts are playing in London for the first time since losing 27-26 to Samoa three years ago and head coach Wane knows what to expect.

"I have talked with the players [about late defeats]," he said in the build-up to the match. "No matter how close we come is irrelevant. I have spoken to the players about scenarios, and the importance of switching on for 80 minutes. We will show Australia respect, and make sure we are switched on right to the very end."

He added: "We need 17 players to have their best game, that is the level of quality in the Australian team," he said. "We have players who can do that. They know how good they must be. It will take an almighty performance, but we are doing everything we can."

The Ashes are a three-match series, with the opener at Wembley followed by a second match at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium on November 1 and a third at Headingley on November 8.

Click here to read article