Kate Middleton looked ‘effortless’ in England rugby training session, says Mike Tindall

Kate Middleton looked ‘effortless’ during her rugby training session in England, Mike Tindall says – as he spoke of the Duchess of Cambridge’s ‘competitive nature where she has to be good at things “.

The 40-year-old royal mother-of-three joined the England players last week for drills at Twickenham, hours after being confirmed as England Rugby patron after taking over the role from Prince Harry.

Mike, 43, who is married to Prince William’s cousin Zara Tindall, 40, commented on the Duchess’ visit on his rugby podcast The good, the bad and rugbywhich he presents alongside former teammate James Haskell and TV presenter Alex Payne.

The royal mother-of-three (pictured right), 40, joined the England players last week for drills at Twickenham, hours after being confirmed as England Rugby boss after taking over the role of Prince Harry. In the photo on the left, Mike

He said, ‘I’m texting [England player] Ellis [Genge] and said, “Dude, please tell me everything she screwed up” so I could kind of… whatsapp family group, join her, and he said, “No, she was pretty good, and she was really good at kicking,” and I was like [sighs].

“But she has this competitive nature where she has to be good at things,” he added, before his co-presenter Alex agreed: “She looked incredibly natural.”

James said: “When she was announced I thought it was amazing because we know she obviously loves her rugby.”

“But the way she caught the ball, the way she jumped in the lineout, the little outside break, she was absolutely fantastic, she was really, really, really good. And so I was amazing, and dual sport, what an amazing ambassador.

Mike added: ‘Imagine, anyone who’s ever tried it, getting kicked into the lineout if you’ve never done it before isn’t easy because normally you’ll be kicking the prop in the nuts or face while he’s lifting you up and she just looked effortless.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Wessex, and Zara and Mike Tindall taking part in ‘Royal Carols – Together At Christmas’, a Christmas carol concert hosted by the Duchess at Westminster Abbey in London, which aired on Christmas Eve on TVI

Mike Tindall with Zara Tindall, Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge at Royal Ascot on June 18, 2019

The former rugby player went on to joke: “The best thing is when it rolls in England and Wales we get the Battle of the Cambridges.”

The Duchess has been named Patron of the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union by the Queen in the first move to reallocate royal patronages which were stripped from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex after the Megxit.

Commenting on the news, Kate said she was “delighted” to support “two fantastic organisations”.

Competitive Kate looked delighted to step into her brother-in-law’s shoes and giggled, laughed and smiled throughout last week’s drills, led by head coach Eddie Jones.

Carry on with Kate! The Duchess of Cambridge looked full of energy as she joined the players for training at Twickenham, hours after she was announced as Prince Harry’s replacement as England Rugby boss. A rugby fan, Harry loved his responsibilities. Pictured right, during a rugby training session in England in October 2013.

Ready for kick-off! By giving her cousin-in-law Mike Tindall a run for his money, Kate showed she was a hands-on boss as she kicked the ball

Learning from the pros: The Duchess of Cambridge chatted with the England rugby team ahead of last week’s training session

Wearing her hair swept back in a high ponytail, the mother-of-three – wearing official £50 England rugby pants and a £50 zip-up top was – in her element as she strode across the pitch, joined in a scrum and even scored a try.

The Duchess, known for her love of sport, smiled as she ran to the try line and raised her arms in celebration.

Proving she’s not afraid to get stuck in, Kate put her arms around England players Jamie George and Ellis Genge in a mock scrum and was lifted into the air in a line out, prompting a fit of laughter. She also participated in simple throwing and catching drills and tried a drop kick.

Meanwhile, on Monday Mike shared a touching collage that captures the Queen throughout her 70-year reign to mark her platinum jubilee.

The former British rugby player took instagram to celebrate the monarch’s milestone by posting a photo showing the Queen in each decade of her reign, from 1952 to 2022, with the caption: ‘What a lady.