As iconic as the Princess Royal is, she knows how to instigate a boundary, and that was exactly what happened when she presented Scottish rugby captain Sione Tuipulotu with the Calcutta Cup following their match on Saturday.
In a video circulating of the moment on social media, Anne can be seen passing over the prize following Scotland’s victory against England. No doubt filled with joy and excitement, Sione appears to go in for a hug with the senior royal, who very politely and affectionately taps him on the shoulder.
The comments section was filled with royal fans praising Anne’s professionalism at handling the moment, with one fan quipping: “I thought he was going to kiss her!” One added, “Princess Anne was just as excited as he was! She handled that perfectly!!”
Meanwhile, another penned: “She almost got a hug! Thats something you never see. Notice he went in for a hug, but she deflected with a pat on his shoulder. Brilliant.”
It is against royal protocol for members of the royal family to hug people on engagements, although Anne was clearly enthralled by Scotland’s win as Patron of Scottish Rugby Union, a position she has held since 1986.
© Getty ImagesFollowing the match, the official social media page for the royal family shared a series of joyful images of the event alongside the words: “Congratulations to Scotland on their Calcutta Cup win! On Saturday, The Princess Royal attended the match and presented the Cup to @ScotlandTeam.
“Her Royal Highness has been Patron of Scottish Rugby Union since 1986. In this role, Her Royal Highness presents the Calcutta Cup each year. Contested between the Scottish and English Rugby Teams, the Calcutta Cup is awarded to the winning side during the Six Nations Championship.”
In the family
Rugby is certainly a family sport for Anne, whose son-in-law, Mike Tindall, used to play rugby union for England. Anne has long been an ardent Scotland supporter and often goes to home games and even travels abroad to cheer on the team. “As a family, they’re very sport-loving,” Mike said of his wife Zara Tindall’s family in an interview with A Round with Radar.
“With Princess Anne being the patron of Scottish rugby now as well and the Prince and Princess of Wales being England patrons and Wales respectively, I was very fortunate that they knew a lot about rugby and had that sports side to it.”
Not to mention that the Prince and Princess of Wales are patrons of Wales and England Rugby, respectively.
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