The Prince of Wales has spoken of enjoying the opening matches of the Rugby World Cup as he visited Bordeaux to watch Wales’s Pool C fixture against Fiji.
William, patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, was greeted by RWC director Gareth Davies, venue director Paul Couet-Lannes and WRU president Gerald Davies after arriving at Stade de Bordeaux.
He then met Fijian President Wiliame Katonivere before taking his seat.
The prince initially commented on the warm weather in the French city, where temperatures have this weekend reached 36C, before discussing the tournament, which began on Friday with hosts France beating three-time champions New Zealand 27-13 in Paris.
“I can’t believe another World Cup has come around again,” he said to Gerald Davies.
“It’s exciting when it all kicks off. There have been some good matches already. The France-New Zealand game was fantastic.”
William’s flying visit to south-west France came a day after the Princess of Wales watched England defeat Argentina 27-10 in Marseille.
Wearing a dark blue suit with a red and white tie, the prince also expressed admiration for former Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones, Test rugby’s most-capped player, who retired from international duty earlier this year and currently plays for French club Toulon.
“I’ll be looking for where Alun Wyn is,” William said during his conversation with Gerald Davies. “He’s been there so long, he’s a stalwart.”
The Prince of Wales was spotted in the crowd singing along to the Welsh national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, just before kick off.
Wales started the game well and went eight nil up after a try from Josh Adams, but Fiji came fighting back, just edging in front.
However, Wales powered through and went in at the break leading 18-14.
The Prince's attendance at the Wales game on Sunday, 10 September, comes just a day after his wife, Kate was in Marseilles, France, to take in England's opening game against Argentina.
Kate dazzled in a stunning white suit as she watched England win the game 27-10 in the scorching French heat.
The appearances from the royal couple came shortly after they joined the Princess Royal on Mike Tindall’s The Good, the Bad and The Rugby podcast.
As they discussed Kate's love of team sport, Mike teased: "I'm not going to say you're really competitive… [but] I've seen her play beer pong."
However, Kate disagreed with him saying: "I'm not competitive at all!"
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