Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is reportedly set to replace Prince Harry as the new figurehead of English rugby.
The 40-year-old duchess is poised to become the first member of the royal family to take one of Harry’s patronages, after he relocated to California in 2020.
A source told the Daily Mail newspaper that Catherine will be unveiled as the patron of the Rugby Football Union “imminently”.
The move is expected to be announced ahead of the start of the Six Nations championship in February.
And the upcoming appointment will put Catherine in competition with her husband Prince William, who became patron of the Welsh Rugby Union in 2016.
England and Wales are due to clash at Twickenham on February 26, and the royal duo – who tied the knot in 2011 – are expected to attend the game.
An insider explained: “They are famously competitive with each other and this will be no different – probably even more so now that they have an invested interest in the outcome of the game.”
Meanwhile, a royal source recently claimed the Duchess has developed new ambitions since becoming a mum.
The duchess – who has Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three, with William – has seen her life and her outlook transformed by the challenge of motherhood.
The insider explained: “All Catherine ever wanted was a house in the countryside, loads of kids, dogs and an AGA. She wasn’t interested in having a big job or becoming famous.
“Family life is incredibly important to her, and motherhood has been the making of her.
“Now that she feels she’s achieved that, there’s time to turn to her public role and what she wants to achieve there.”