Prince William to make flying visit to France as Wales play Argentina in Rugby World Cup

Prince of Wales, who is the patron of the Welsh Rugby Union, will make a flying visit to France on Saturday

Prince William will be in the stands cheering on Wales on Saturday (14 October) as the Welsh dragons play Argentina in the quarter-final of the Rugby World Cup.

The Prince of Wales, who is the patron of Welsh Rugby Union (WRU), will be in attendance at the Stade de Marseille in France, hoping to see Wales progress to the semi-final against either New Zealand or Ireland. The match kicks off at 4pm.

Last month, William, 41, travelled to Bordeaux to watch Wales defeat Fiji 32-26 in their opening game of the pool fixtures.

There, he met with Rugby World Cup director Gerald Davies, venue director Paul Couet-Lannes, WRU president Gerald Davies and Fijian President Wiliame Katonivere at the match.

He told Davies: “I can’t believe another World Cup has come around again. It’s exciting when it all kicks off. There have been some good matches already.”

The Princess of Wales, who is the patron of the Rugby Football Union, watched England defeat Argentina in Marseille in England’s opening game of the tournament, saying she was “really excited” to be in attendance.

It is not known if the Prince or Princess are due to attend England’s quarter-final match against Fiji at the same venue on Sunday.

The royal will be in attendance at Saturday’s match (PA)

Wales finished on the top of their pool during the group stages of the Rugby World Cup. They went through undefeated, with their wins including a 40-6 domination over Australia.

William, who is also patron of the Football Association, was criticised for deciding not to attend the Women’s World Cup final when England played Spain in Sydney in May.

Wales, coached by Warren Gatland, are considered favourites going into the match and if they defeat Argentina will reach their third semi-final in the last four world cups.

Additional reporting by Press Association