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The Princess of Wales has become the focus of a new viral video after footage from a rugby squad training session that left the royal in stitches resurfaced on TikTok.
Kate's fans have taken to social media in recent weeks to post footage from favorite past engagements, after it was announced in January that she had undergone "planned abdominal surgery" and would be absent from public duties until after Easter while she recuperates.
The princess has performed a public role since her marriage to Prince William in 2011. She is patron of over 20 charities and has a particular focus on the areas of early childhood development, mental health, the visual arts and sport.
Through her championing of both professional team and individual sports and amateur operations in schools and communities, Kate has taken part in a number of activities herself over the years, from sailing to tennis, cycling and field hockey.
One sport that the princess has close links to is rugby. In 2022, Queen Elizabeth II appointed Kate as patron of the England Rugby League and England Rugby Union associations, both roles that had been held by Prince Harry but had reverted to the crown when he split from the monarchy and moved to the U.S. in 2020.
Shortly after her appointment was made public, Kate visited the England Rugby training ground and took part in a series of drills while meeting members of the squad, management and supporting staff.
Uploaded to TikTok by user princessofwales2022, footage from this 2022 engagement was re-posted on February 18, showing the royal bursting into fits of giggles and she joked with drill participants on the rugby field.
Simply captioned "rugby" the video has been viewed over 200,000 times on the social media site so far, gaining in excess of 4,500 likes and over 100 comments, many of which praised Kate's fun-loving nature.
"Fun sporty elegant graceful classy absolutely stunning. Miss you so much and hoping your recovery is going well 🥰🙏," wrote on TikTok user.
"She's so dang cute.. 🥰 👑 💯," posted another, with a further comment reading: "She's such a good sport. Her smile, laugh.. People warm to her and have such a great time interacting with her."
Kate's abdominal surgery took place on January 16 and she was discharged from hospital following a two-week observation period on January 29. At the time, Kensington Palace said that the princess wouldn't be expected to return to public duties until after easter, though it noted that she was making good progress.
Kate hasn't been photographed in public since her appearance at the traditional royal walkabout on Christmas Day with other members of the royal family.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more