Kate and William Blend Into Crowd With Kids at Commonwealth Games

They almost got away with it. The Prince and Princess of Wales brought their children Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8, to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, on 1 August — slipping into the stands alongside ordinary fans before the cameras, inevitably, found them. It was the kind of low-key, genuinely joyful public appearance the Waleses do best: no state occasion pomp, just a family at the sport.

While in Scotland, William and Kate are known by their Scottish titles, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay — a detail that rather suits the relaxed, under-the-radar spirit of the day. They watched the netball match between Australia and Jamaica from the stands, accompanied by Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. It turned out to be a cracker of a fixture to choose: Australia suffered a 46-45 defeat to Jamaica in one of the most dramatic upsets of the entire Games, with Jamaica upsetting four-time winners and reigning champions Australia — the first time Australia had failed to contest the Commonwealth Games Netball final ever.

The family later headed to the velodrome to watch cycling alongside two of Great Britain's most decorated cyclists, Sir Chris Hoy and Dame Laura Kenny. Hoy is a six-time Olympic gold medallist, while Kenny is Britain's most successful female Olympian, having won five Olympic gold medals and one silver during her career. Not a bad afternoon's company for three children on their summer holidays.

The outing marked another significant public appearance for the royal family's youngest child, Prince Louis, who has increasingly accompanied his parents to official engagements. For the little prince, it was the first time Prince Louis had watched a sports tournament in front of the cameras — his older siblings having previously attended Wimbledon while he stayed at home. It is also the first time the children have appeared in public in Scotland.

The family's banter was very much on display. Catherine revealed that officials had suggested she and William try a tandem bike in the velodrome, prompting Prince William to quip to the children: "We embarrass you enough as it is." Prince George, meanwhile, declared himself "rubbish at anything that involves flexibility" and named the javelin as his favourite event, while Louis cheerfully admitted that Charlotte had told him his handstands weren't up to scratch.

That caption, posted to the Prince and Princess of Wales's Instagram alongside a photograph of the family from behind, said everything about the mood of the day — warm, unpretentious, and genuinely thrilled to be there.

Kate debuted a new look for the occasion, wearing a dark racing green cashmere blazer by Ralph Lauren — the American brand also serving as the official outfitter of Wimbledon, where the Princess is royal patron. Prince George and Prince Louis also wore shirts by the brand, while Princess Charlotte chose a polka-dot dress. William, reliable as ever, kept to his failsafe navy. The family of five also received a warm welcome at Wales House in the centre of Glasgow, where they chatted with Welsh athletes and their proud parents for over five minutes, asking about their achievements and how they had prepared for the Games.

The family were also joined in the stands by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, with the Duke serving as Vice Patron of Commonwealth Sport. It was, by any measure, the perfect penultimate-day send-off before the Waleses retreat from the public eye — and, in all likelihood, head north to join King Charles and Queen Camilla at Balmoral for the rest of the summer.