Latest Press Release
Prince Harry to become Vice Patron of the Rugby Football Union
28th January 2010
Prince Harry is to become Vice Patron of England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) with effect from 6th February, 2010 when England play Wales in the opening game of the RBS 6Nations tournament.
The game takes place almost one hundred years to the day since the first ever international game at Twickenham Stadium, which was also England vs. Wales.
Prince William, who is Vice Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), will join Prince Harry at the 6Nations match.
In addition to Prince Harry’s new Vice Patronage of the RFU, Prince Harry is to become Patron of the RFU’s Injured Players’ Foundation, which supports players who have been injured playing rugby at any level of the game in England.
Prince Harry’s Vice Patronage builds on his regular attendance at Twickenham as a supporter and on his gap year experience spent working with the RFU in its community rugby programme.
Shortly before the match, Prince William and Prince Harry will jointly welcome eight injured Servicemen from Headley Court and Selly Oak Hospital, all of whom were injured in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan . They will also meet the players on both sides as well as take part in the stadium’s centenary celebrations before the match begins.
RFU President John Owen said: “We are delighted and privileged that Prince Harry has become Vice Patron of the RFU. He has been a great supporter of English rugby, from working with us in 2004 as a level one coach to supporting our successful bid to host the 2015 Rugby World Cup. His support for the RFU Injured Players Foundation will be invaluable in helping those seriously injured playing the game. We look forward to welcoming him, as well as Prince William, to what will be a very special centenary match at Twickenham on February 6th.”
Notes to editors
- Prince William has been Vice Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union since February 2007. The Queen is Patron of both the Rugby Football Union and the Welsh Rugby Union.
- The Injured Players Foundation (IPF) is the RFU's official charity which supports players who have been catastrophically injured playing rugby at any level of the game in England. They not only provide grants to players who have suffered disabling spinal or brain injuries, but also immediate support when an injury has occurred, visiting a player and their family in hospital, managing issues with housing and wheelchair provision and funding mobile phones and laptops to keep players in touch with their friends whilst on the ward. The IPF also leads an extensive programme of research and education aimed at reducing the number of injuries and their severity in future, and identifying how injured players can be helped more effectively.
- The England vs Wales match almost 100 years ago was won by England with a score of 11-6.