William and Kate Go Head-to-Head in Latest Outing ― and There Was Only One Winner
Known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland, Kate and William tried their hand at a sport, and it’s safe to say they were as competitive as ever.
When it comes to sports, Prince William and Princess Kate do not give each other a free pass. That spirit was reflected during their latest outing as well, when the couple visited the National Curling Academy in Stirling to show their support for Team GB and Paralympic GB curling teams ahead of the Winter Olympic Games set to begin next month in Milano-Cortina. Known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland, the two tried their hand at the sport themselves, and it’s safe to say they were as competitive as ever. The Prince certainly gave his best effort, but in the end, it was Kate who won.
The sport involves players sliding stones across the ice towards a target. In fact, it remains one of the most successful winter sports of Team GB and Paralympic GB, earning them several accolades, including six Olympic medals and two Paralympic medals to date. While it looks pretty simple on the outside, in reality, Kate and William soon learned just how difficult it can be, even after their brief 5-minute training session. After a couple of trials, Kate urged William to go first, saying, “You can go first.” “Are you sure?” He replied. “It won’t make a difference.” The Prince then confidently took a stone, getting into position, he said, “Here we go, let’s see what happens.”
Given the speed of his stone, the heir apparent joked, “It’s not going very fast.” To this silver medallist, Bruce Mouat assured him that sweepers usually help the stone reach the target area. The Princess then stepped onto the ice, gripping her husband’s arm for balance as she found her footing. Tucking her long hair behind her ears, she got into position, with William advising her to “lean on both Catherine,” referencing the delivery stick used by beginners and the red stone. After failing to push the stone in the first attempt, she politely asked if she could try again, keen to correct her mistake. Much to everyone’s delight, the executive performance director from British curling, Nigel Holl, told her that she and William will now be going head-to-head with two sweepers each.
In their usual competitive streak, the couple got into position again and were challenged to get closest to the center of the target area. The Prince playfully joked, “No pressure, guys,” with his wife cheering him with a “You’re doing very well” as his stone touched the outer blue ring. He then thanked his sweepers, Rebecca Morrison and Grant Hardie, for their hard work.
The focus then shifted to Kate, who was next to go. With full determination, she pushed the stone and was heard saying, “Come on, keep going.” When the stone stopped right in the middle, she cheered with a fist pump to gold medalist Jennifer Dodds. William was then seen smiling lovingly from the sidelines, clapping for his wife's win. Just before the academy visit, the couple dropped by Radical Weavers, a handweaving studio and charity, and also greeted their well-wishers standing outside.
